8 Top Student Information Systems for Universities, Higher Ed, 2025, 2026: From Full Fabric to Workday

Universities entering 2026 face a student systems market that looks quite different from the one they knew two years earlier. One major vendor absorbed another's SIS business at the end of 2025, a well-known product now trades under a new name, and AI features have arrived in admissions, advising and curriculum planning across several suites.

That churn creates a practical problem for buyers. Comparisons published in 2024 may describe products that have since been renamed, merged or repositioned, and most vendors still disclose nothing about price. A shortlist built on old information risks either missing a strong option or selecting one whose roadmap has changed.

This assessment covers eight platforms as they stand across 2025 and 2026, from Full Fabric, ranked first as the best unified CRM and SIS, to Workday Student, which closes the list as an option mainly for existing Workday customers.

Quick picks

  • Full Fabric: unified CRM and SIS on one data model
  • Ellucian: one higher education vendor for SIS, HCM and finance
  • TechnologyOne OneEducation: student, finance and HR consolidation in Australia, New Zealand and the UK
  • Tribal SITS: UK statutory returns at scale

Where Each Platform Sits

1) Full Fabric

Buyers now routinely ask who controls AI inside a student system. Full Fabric's answer is that its AI Console ships switched off, leaving the institution to decide if and how it is used, and the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification extends to that console as well as the rest of the platform, alongside GDPR compliance, encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 or higher.

Functionally, everything rests on one shared data model spanning recruitment, applications, payments and academic records. A learner's file moves from enquiry into courses, marks, re-registration, transcripts and diplomas, with stackable credentials supported and HESA reporting for UK institutions. Two-way links with HubSpot, Dynamics and Salesforce, plus a UCAS connector, mean existing systems can stay.

Pricing begins with a €12,000 per year platform fee, followed by usage-based charges for Commerce, Admissions and the SIS. Implementation is quoted separately on time and materials, and support is available in Basic, Premium and Enterprise tiers. The company's own comparison notes that very large universities replacing a legacy ERP are not its main market.

Pros

  • One record from first enquiry to alumni
  • AI Console under institutional control
  • Published platform fee
  • HESA reporting and UCAS connector

Cons

  • No finance or HR ERP
  • US financial aid and IPEDS reporting not listed

2) Ellucian

No vendor's position shifted more over the two years. The Anthology deal, completed on the last day of 2025 and made public on 5 January 2026, brought over 260 institutions and a third student system into a portfolio that already held Banner and Colleague, and Ellucian has said it will keep supporting Anthology's existing products.

Ellucian counts roughly 3,000 customer institutions across 50 countries, and its staff and finance applications share the student platform. Gartner placed it in the Leader category for higher education SaaS SIS in consecutive years, and US buyers continue to value its aid processing and AI-driven scholarship matching.

The platform layer includes Ellucian Experience as a central workspace, reporting and analytics, process automation and Ethos data orchestration. Banner SaaS provides automated upgrades and REST APIs.

Pros

  • SIS, HCM and finance from one higher education vendor
  • Strong student aid tools
  • Large customer and user community

Cons

  • Three overlapping SIS lines with no published convergence plan
  • No public pricing

3) TechnologyOne OneEducation

OneEducation combines student management with financials, HR, payroll, timetabling and curriculum management on one data model. The curriculum capability came from TechnologyOne's CourseLoop acquisition, and the 26B release added Guide for students to the DxP Student portal.

An AWS partner of the year badge for 2025 sits on TechnologyOne's materials, and under SaaS+ the setup, support and upgrade costs are rolled into one subscription. More than 6.5 million students use OneEducation, according to the company.

Victoria University is among the named customers, and an AI layer branded Plus works across the whole suite. Basic support comes with the subscription; premium tiers cost extra.

Pros

  • One data model across student and corporate systems
  • Implementation included in SaaS+
  • Curriculum, timetabling and exam management built in

Cons

  • An ERP suite rather than a standalone SIS
  • No North American or continental European presence shown

4) Jenzabar One

Jenzabar One places Jenzabar Student, Financial Aid, Finance and HCM on a single cloud system of record for US colleges. Nontraditional students are a stated focus, served through flexible payment plans and omnichannel messaging.

In 2024, IDC's MarketScape for North American higher education SaaS and cloud SIS rated Jenzabar a Leader, and the company also won a Gold at that year's American Business Awards.

The platform also covers advancement, online learning, analytics and automated workflows, and a Campus Marketplace adds commerce. Jenzabar is based in Boston and cites more than 40 years of experience.

Pros

  • One vendor for SIS and ERP
  • Focus on adult and part-time learners
  • Analyst recognition in 2024

Cons

  • US focus, with no UK or European reporting
  • No published pricing

5) Classter

Classter's modular platform serves K12 schools, higher education, academies and corporate learning, priced per active student and by module. More than 40 integrations and an open API connect it to tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Moodle.

In 2025 the company collected badges including Capterra Best Value, Software Advice best customer support and GetApp best functionality. It reports a 98% user satisfaction rating.

Classter's worked example for a 1,000-student college sets the base module at €8.50 per active student, and help comes through a Freshdesk portal with a public log of changes.

Pros

  • Published per-student pricing example
  • Seven website languages
  • Broad module catalogue

Cons

  • No HESA or IPEDS reporting mentioned
  • Broad K12 focus

6) Classe365

A new Classe365 price list took effect on 1 January 2025, the first revision since 2013. The structure stays the same: a base charge linked to enrolment, a flat price per optional module however many students use it, and 10% off for annual renewal.

Records, registers, report cards, teaching, recruitment, progression checks and fee collection all come in the one product. Larger institutions, above 1,000 students, move onto enterprise terms, and qualifying not-for-profits get 15% off.

Pros

  • Transparent pricing model
  • SIS, LMS and CRM in one product
  • Public API

Cons

  • No national reporting mentioned
  • Current tier prices published only as images

7) Tribal SITS

Its returns to the OfS, HESA, the SLC and the Graduate Outcomes survey anchor SITS in British registries, and Tribal puts its share of UK universities above 60%. Recruitment tools include online Clearing and applicant ranking that takes widening participation into account.

Looking to 2027, Tribal is helping customers get ready for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. Independent providers are sent to its EBS product, and retention tools cover engagement, absences and extenuating circumstances, while apprenticeship degrees are followed through to the workplace.

Pros

  • Comprehensive UK statutory returns
  • Retention and extenuating circumstances tools
  • Degree apprenticeship management

Cons

  • UK focus
  • No public pricing

8) Workday Student

Workday Student shares a platform with Workday HCM, Financial Management and Adaptive Planning, enabling analytics across student, finance and people data. AI academic planning and at-risk insights support advisors.

Its Australian reference sites include Deakin, Queensland and Macquarie universities. A notice on the Canadian site cautions that announced features may change or never ship, custom apps can be built with Workday Extend and a partner marketplace, and a skills engine relates programmes to workforce demand.

Pros

  • Unified data with Workday HR and finance
  • AI-assisted advising
  • Large-scale deployments on record

Cons

  • No public pricing
  • HESA and IPEDS not mentioned on overview pages

How We Evaluated These Tools

Platforms were assessed against four criteria: the scope of the student record, national reporting support, integration and extensibility, and commercial transparency. Developments during 2025 and early 2026, such as acquisitions, renamed products and pricing changes, were considered where they affect a buyer's decision.

The assessment draws on information each vendor publishes about its own products and on public procurement listings. No product was tested hands-on, and company claims are attributed. Rankings reflect fit for the institutions described, not vendor size. Where a vendor does not state a feature, price or certification, the assessment treats it as unconfirmed rather than assuming it exists.

How to Choose the Right Tool

Begin with scope. Institutions whose main constraint is recruitment and admissions should favour platforms that join those processes to the student record. Those replacing HR and finance at the same time should look at ERP-led suites.

Then apply the regulatory filter. UK institutions require HESA support; US institutions require financial aid handling. Several platforms here serve only one market.

Finally, test commercial transparency. Three of the eight vendors publish pricing information; the others require a sales process, which should include implementation and support costs from the start. Comparing totals over the full contract term gives a more reliable picture than first-year licence prices.

Who Should Use These Tools

Specialist institutions, business schools and professional education providers are Full Fabric's natural buyers, while large North American universities wanting one sector specialist lean towards Ellucian. Back-office replacement in the UK, Australia or New Zealand points to TechnologyOne; American private colleges to Jenzabar One; groups spanning schools and colleges to Classter; small providers to Classe365; big UK registries to Tribal SITS; and Workday estates to Workday Student. Each choice follows the institution's operating model rather than the vendor's profile.

Which Tool Should You Choose?

Choose Full Fabric if you want CRM, admissions and student records on one record with institutional control over AI.

Choose Ellucian if you want SIS, HCM and finance from one higher education vendor.

Choose TechnologyOne OneEducation if you are consolidating back-office systems in its three markets.

Choose Tribal SITS if UK statutory returns are your priority.

Choose Workday Student if Workday already runs your HR and finance.