Are your campus systems still siloed?
You’re stuck managing disconnected tools and data silos. This slows your institution and frustrates everyone from students to your own staff.
The real issue is that manual processes create major bottlenecks. It makes your campus feel outdated and inefficient in an era of hybrid learning.
This resistance to new tech is common. Klover.ai reports only 22% of colleges have a campus-wide AI strategy, a gap that signals major operational inefficiencies.
But the right platform can finally break down these walls. It helps you build a connected campus experience for modern students and faculty.
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In this article, I’m guiding you through the best higher education software to solve this. I’ll help you find an integrated platform for your specific needs.
You’ll discover how to replace legacy systems and unify your digital tools, boosting both administrative efficiency and overall student success.
Let’s get started.
Quick Summary:
| # | Software | Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthology → | Comprehensive SaaS for universities | |
| 2 | Instructure → | Large hybrid learning institutions | |
| 3 | Ellucian → | Universities replacing legacy systems | |
| 4 | Workday → | Mid-to-large campuses streamlining operations | |
| 5 | PowerSchool → | Institutions ending fragmented systems |
1. Anthology
Are disconnected tools slowing your campus?
Anthology provides a complete SaaS solution suite, featuring a Learning Management System (LMS), Student Information System (SIS), and Constituent Relationship Management (CRM). This means you can overcome the frustration of siloed data and manual processes that hinder institutional performance.
This comprehensive ecosystem is designed to unify your digital experience.
Here’s how Anthology solves the problem of disparate systems. It offers an LMS with built-in AI capabilities to simplify teaching and engage learners. Additionally, the SIS streamlines operations and powers student success at every stage, while the CRM ensures institutional sustainability and strategic growth. Plus, Anthology Illuminate provides a holistic data and reporting platform that unites siloed sources and delivers actionable insights, helping you achieve desired student outcomes and operational efficiency. The result is a truly integrated and future-proofed platform for your institution.
While we’re discussing comprehensive solutions for operational efficiency, you might also be interested in my guide on best long term care software.
Key features:
- Complete SaaS Solution Ecosystem: Offers a unified suite including LMS, SIS, and CRM to address challenges of disconnected tools and data silos.
- Integrated Data and Analytics: Anthology Illuminate unifies siloed data sources to provide key actionable insights and enhanced analytics.
- AI-Powered Learning and Operations: Features an LMS with AI capabilities for simplified teaching and an SIS that streamlines operations for student success.
Anthology features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Anthology stands out as a best higher education software solution by offering a complete SaaS ecosystem that tackles pain points like disconnected tools and data silos head-on. Its integrated LMS, SIS, and CRM, coupled with robust analytics via Anthology Illuminate, provide the unified platform needed for operational efficiency and student success.
2. Instructure
Are your campus systems fragmented and inefficient?
You might be grappling with disconnected tools and data silos, hindering seamless operations and student engagement.
Instructure addresses this by offering Canvas, a centralized learning hub that streamlines teaching and learning activities, organizing coursework for a unified digital experience.
It’s time to transform your campus.
Instructure’s Canvas LMS empowers learning with a centralized hub, keeping your students and faculty connected, engaged, and supported within one easy-to-use platform. This means you can simplify course delivery and communication, which is crucial for hybrid learning environments.
Additionally, the Impact solution maximizes your edtech usage with data-backed support and communication tools, helping educators unlock the full potential of their existing technology investments. Plus, Intelligent Insights, an AI-powered tool for administrators, turns raw data into actionable insights, making it easy for you to drive better student and campus outcomes by revealing what’s working and where to focus your efforts.
The result is a more effective and successful academic environment.
Key features:
- Canvas LMS: Provides a centralized, easy-to-use platform to simplify teaching and learning, organizing coursework and connecting students with faculty seamlessly.
- Impact: Offers data-backed support and communication tools to maximize edtech usage, helping you improve technology adoption and evaluate its impact.
- Intelligent Insights: Utilizes AI-powered analytics to transform raw data into actionable insights, enabling data-driven decision-making for enhanced teaching and learning outcomes.
Instructure features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Instructure, with its Canvas LMS, Impact, and Intelligent Insights, stands out as a strong contender for the best higher education software, offering an integrated platform to unify digital experiences and deliver actionable analytics. It streamlines academic administration and supports hybrid instruction, making it ideal for large universities seeking to boost student outcomes and operational efficiency.
3. Ellucian
Are you struggling with disconnected campus systems?
You want to unify your digital experiences and overcome data silos. Ellucian offers a complete solution that powers the entire student lifecycle, streamlining administration and boosting student engagement.
This means you can move beyond manual processes and poor integration, as Ellucian delivers AI-powered solutions and unmatched expertise. Their purpose-built technology addresses the unique needs of higher education, ensuring your operations are more efficient.
Discover integrated, future-proofed solutions.
Ellucian solves these issues by providing an integrated ecosystem designed to keep learners moving forward with the tools, insights, and proactive support needed for success. They offer robust ERP, SIS, and CRM solutions tailored for student engagement across recruitment, advising, and advancement functions. This includes specialized tools to eliminate financial uncertainty, a major barrier for student success. Additionally, their AI-powered lifelong learning solution links curriculum, learner aspirations, and workforce demand, helping your institution adapt to evolving pedagogy.
Their SaaS platform transforms faculty and student engagement. The result? Streamlined academic administration and actionable analytics to boost student outcomes.
Securing your institution’s data is also paramount. For insights into protecting sensitive financial information, consider my guide on best PCI compliance software.
Key features:
- Complete student lifecycle management: Powers end-to-end student processes with intuitive planning tools and AI-driven engagement for efficiency.
- Integrated ERP, SIS, and CRM: Unifies student information, finance, human capital management, and student engagement across campus.
- AI-powered solutions: Drives innovation with AI for lifelong learning, linking curriculum to workforce demands and enhancing student success.
Ellucian features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Ellucian stands out as the best higher education software for universities seeking to replace legacy systems and unify their digital experiences. With solutions like Ellucian Student, which boasts a 25% boost in new student enrollment for users, it provides the integrated platform and actionable analytics needed to transform your campus experience and drive student success.
4. Workday
Struggling with disconnected campus systems and data silos?
Workday offers a unified platform specifically designed to streamline your institution’s operations through comprehensive Human Capital Management, Financial Management, and Student Management solutions. This means you can say goodbye to manual processes and poor integration that slow you down.
Workday helps you consolidate disparate tools, providing a flexible foundation that moves beyond legacy ERP limitations. This ultimately empowers your staff to focus on more strategic work.
Here’s how to unify your campus experience.
Workday’s AI platform integrates people, money, and agents, driving flawless business operations. You can elevate the potential of your people by boosting productivity with AI, and unifying your human and agent workforce for optimal performance.
Workday Illuminate™ delivers measurable value by providing AI-generated insights that help you manage costs and make financial decisions with confidence. This allows you to gain total visibility into agreements that fuel your organization.
Additionally, with capabilities like Student Management and Contract Lifecycle Management, Workday helps you control contract data and automate processes with AI, ensuring regulatory compliance and data privacy concerns are addressed for your peace of mind and operational efficiency.
The result is a resilient platform for strategic shifts.
For those also exploring curriculum tools, my article on best course management system offers deeper insights.
Key features:
- Human Capital Management: Elevates people potential and boosts productivity using AI, unifying your human and agent workforce for streamlined operations.
- Financial Management: Uses AI-generated insights to manage costs, allowing you to make faster, more confident financial decisions for your institution.
- Student Management: Supports unified operational agility, meeting specific industry needs within higher education.
Workday features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Workday stands out as the best higher education software, providing an integrated, future-proofed platform that simplifies academic administration, supports hybrid instruction, and delivers actionable analytics. This helps boost student outcomes and operational efficiency by streamlining HR and finance, as seen with customers like PwC which reinvigorated skills tracking with machine learning.
5. PowerSchool
Are disconnected tools slowing your campus experience?
You can unify your digital operations with PowerSchool, designed to integrate various aspects of your educational ecosystem.
This means you can say goodbye to data silos and manual processes, allowing you to streamline academic administration and boost institutional performance.
Here’s how to simplify your operations.
PowerSchool offers a comprehensive, integrated platform that addresses the complexities of modern higher education.
You can centralize student information, manage academic records, and support hybrid instruction, ensuring seamless integration and actionable analytics.
Additionally, this platform provides crucial insights for boosting student outcomes and operational efficiency. It’s built to adapt to evolving pedagogy and compliance requirements, ensuring your institution is future-proofed against changing educational demands and regulations.
The result is a streamlined, efficient campus.
Key features:
- Integrated Platform: Unifies digital experiences across your institution, eliminating data silos and improving overall operational efficiency.
- Academic Administration: Streamlines managing student information, academic records, and supporting diverse instructional models including hybrid learning.
- Actionable Analytics: Delivers data-driven insights to boost student outcomes and enhance institutional performance, aiding strategic decision-making.
PowerSchool features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: PowerSchool stands out as the best Higher Education Software for institutions grappling with fragmented systems. Its unified platform addresses pain points like data silos and manual processes, providing a comprehensive solution for improved student engagement and operational efficiency, ensuring a strong ROI.
6. Jenzabar
Struggling with disconnected systems and manual processes on campus?
Jenzabar offers Jenzabar One, a unified solution to drive both institutional and student success. This means you can break down barriers of traditional education, streamlining your campus operations.
You’ll find that with Jenzabar, you can unite your campus under one platform, eliminating the frustration of data silos and improving overall efficiency. The result?
A cohesive digital experience for everyone.
Jenzabar addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive suite of tools designed specifically for higher education. For example, the Jenzabar Unity Platform helps you seamlessly integrate systems and eliminate campus silos, ensuring data flows freely across departments. Their solutions like Student Information Systems (SIS), Financial Aid, and Human Capital Management (HCM) software are built to boost performance in every area. Additionally, Jenzabar’s AI-driven chatbot empowers student agency, while Enrollytics leverages real-time data to drive enrollment, and their Retention software helps you keep more students engaged.
This creates a truly integrated and efficient campus.
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Key features:
- Unified Platform: Jenzabar One provides a single, modern solution to unite your campus, breaking down data silos and enhancing institutional and student success.
- AI-Driven Solutions: Leverage AI with tools like their chatbot for student engagement and Analytics to harness data for informed decision-making and operational improvements.
- Streamlined Operations: Features like Workflow software and cloud financial management elevate your business office, while empowering departments to achieve their missions efficiently.
Jenzabar features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Jenzabar is a compelling choice as the best higher education software for institutions seeking to replace legacy systems. Its unified platform and specialized tools, like the Student Retention software which boosted one university’s retention rate above 90%, directly address the need for integrated, future-proofed solutions that enhance student outcomes and operational efficiency.
7. Classe365
Are disconnected systems hindering your campus experience?
Classe365 offers a complete education solution, unifying various aspects from pre-admission to alumni networking, which transforms the entire learner journey. This means your institution can unlock comprehensive organizational analytics.
You’ll find it easier to manage student data and financial transactions, streamlining processes that slow institutional performance. The result is a seamless, integrated approach.
Here’s how Classe365 provides that unified experience.
It simplifies admissions and enrolment with powerful student management software, helping you maximize revenue and increase enrolment by 33%. Additionally, the education ERP system breaks data silos.
You can unlock a wealth of insights with their user-friendly system, while the Learning Management System and analytics module provide immersive classroom experiences and improve student success. Plus, the platform supports engaging alumni communities with features for fundraising and career placement, making post-graduation engagement easy. Ultimately, this all-in-one solution helps boost enrolment, streamline operations, and improve learning.
Classe365 simplifies higher education administration.
Key features:
- Pre-Admission & Enrolment: Maximize revenue and increase enrolment by 33% through powerful student management and one-click enrolment.
- Student Information System & CRM: Break data silos, simplify student data management, and track progress for a complete student lifecycle view.
- Learning Management System & Alumni: Provide immersive classroom experiences and foster engaging alumni communities with fundraising and career placement tools.
Classe365 features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Classe365 is the best higher education software for transforming your campus, offering a unified platform that integrates CRM, SIS, and LMS functionalities. Its ability to increase enrolment by 33% and provide an ROI calculator demonstrates its potential to streamline operations and enhance student engagement, making it ideal for institutions seeking to replace legacy systems and unify digital experiences.
8. Populi
Are your higher education systems causing integration headaches?
You might be grappling with disconnected software and manual processes that hinder efficiency and student engagement.
Populi offers an all-in-one platform, eliminating the need for separate SIS, LMS, billing, and CRM tools, which means your college operations can run more efficiently.
It’s time for a truly integrated solution.
Populi streamlines your entire college operation, designed for everyone from staff and faculty to students and alumni. This means you can centralize admissions, manage financial aid, and conduct courses within a single, cohesive system.
You can engage with prospects, track applications, and facilitate online payments from any device. Its robust API, webhooks, and SSO capabilities ensure seamless integration with your existing systems, reducing data silos and improving institutional performance. Plus, you get unlimited support, from training to technical assistance, included free for all users.
This helps you boost student outcomes and operational efficiency.
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Key features:
- Centralized Student Lifecycle Management: Administer the entire student lifecycle with an SIS that works for all higher education institutions, from recruitment to alumni engagement.
- Integrated Financial Aid and Billing: Process financial aid, connect directly to DoED web tools, and manage a single student financial account for payments across all devices.
- Comprehensive Learning Management System: Conduct courses with a full-featured, easy-to-use LMS that supports flexible learning and integrates with all administrative functions.
Populi features, pricing, & alternatives →
Verdict: Populi stands out as a strong contender for the best higher education software, consolidating critical functions like SIS, LMS, and CRM into one platform. Its all-in-one approach addresses common pain points of disconnected tools and data silos, making it suitable for institutions seeking streamlined administration and enhanced user experience.
Conclusion
Ready to transform your campus experience?
Disconnected systems don’t just slow your administration; they create frustrating bottlenecks for staff, faculty, and the students you serve.
This tech adoption challenge runs deep. Klover.ai reports that only 14% of instructors feel confident using AI in the classroom. This highlights a critical disconnect between available technology and its effective campus-wide integration, impacting student outcomes.
Here is what I recommend.
From my review, Anthology is the clear choice for breaking down these data silos and unifying your institution’s entire digital ecosystem.
Its complete suite connects your LMS, SIS, and CRM into one seamless platform. Choosing the best higher education software means you’re finally building a truly future-proofed, unified campus.
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I highly recommend you visit the Anthology website to see how their integrated solutions can transform your operations.
Create a better experience for everyone.
