9 Best University Student Information System Software SIS Options

You've probably inherited a student records setup that works only because a few people know its quirks. Applicant data arrives by export, marks come in on spreadsheets, and every statutory return involves a week of checking. When one of those people leaves, the risk becomes obvious.

Replacing that setup is the point of new SIS software, but only if you choose a platform that fits how your university actually works. The table below gives you the quick view, and the entries that follow explain what each option offers, what it costs where that's published and where you'll hit limits. Full Fabric comes first as the best unified CRM and SIS.

Platform	Best for	What you'll pay (published)	Reporting named
Full Fabric	Unified CRM and SIS	€12,000 per year platform fee, plus usage	HESA
Classe365	Small, budget-conscious providers	Core by students, add-ons per activation	Not listed
Thesis SM	Smaller UK and Canadian institutions	Not listed	HESA, HESES, ILR, UKVI
Tribal SITS	Large UK universities	Not listed	HESA, OfS, SLC, Graduate Outcomes
Jenzabar One	US private colleges	Not listed	Not listed
Workday Student	Workday customers	Not listed	Not listed
Oracle Student and PeopleSoft	Oracle estates	Not listed	FERPA referenced
Ellucian	Large North American institutions	Not listed	Not listed
Classter	Mixed education groups	Per active student, by module	Not listed

1. Full Fabric: Best Unified CRM and SIS

When you replace a fragile setup, the implementation matters as much as the software. Full Fabric scopes that work openly: project management, process mapping, data migration, configuration and training are billed separately on time and materials, so you can see exactly what you're paying for and adjust the scope. Support then runs on Basic, Premium or Enterprise plans, with phone lines in the UK, the EU and the US.

What you're implementing is a single platform for CRM, admissions, commerce and the SIS, all on one data model. Your applicant becomes your student without an export, and the SIS handles courses, calendars, grades, re-registration, transcripts, diplomas and stacked learner management, with HESA reporting for UK returns. Connectors for Salesforce, Dynamics, HubSpot and UCAS mean you don't have to throw out what already works.

Key features:

One data model from enquiry to alumni
Implementation priced transparently on time and materials
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified, GDPR compliant
REST API, webhooks and SAML 2.0 SSO

Pricing: €12,000 per year platform fee; Commerce, Admissions and SIS charged on usage, with unit prices falling at higher volumes; implementation billed once. No finance or HR modules are included.

2. Classe365

If your institution is small and your budget tight, Classe365 gives you a lot in one product: student records, attendance, report cards, an LMS, CRM and admissions forms, degree audit and online payments, with portals and apps for parents and students.

You'll find the pricing easy to forecast. The Core module follows your student numbers, and add-ons cost a flat amount per activation however many students use them. Just check your reporting needs first, because national returns aren't mentioned. Prices changed on 1 January 2025 for the first time since 2013, and not-for-profit customers above a spending threshold can claim a 15% discount.

Key features:

SIS, LMS and CRM together
Degree audit
Public API documentation
Parent and student mobile apps

Pricing: Core by student numbers; add-ons per activation; 10% off annual renewals; enterprise terms above 1,000 students.

3. Thesis SM

If you run a smaller UK or Canadian institution, Thesis SM gives you the statutory coverage you need without an enterprise suite: HESA, HESES, ILR, UniStats and UKVI in the UK, T2202 in Canada.

You can set your own workflows and reports, and open APIs with full CSV export keep your data in your hands. Plan for a project of 12 to 24 months, and note that US colleges are offered Thesis Elements instead.

Key features:

UK and Canadian compliance
Custom workflows with email automation
Standard, ad hoc and user-defined reports
Open APIs

Pricing: not published; demo on request.

4. Tribal SITS

If you're a large UK university, you'll likely meet SITS on every shortlist. It covers HESA, OfS, SLC and Graduate Outcomes returns, Clearing on the Web, degree apprenticeships and student finance down to debt management.

Tribal says over 60% of UK universities trust SITS. If you're an independent provider, you'll be pointed to EBS instead. You'll also get engagement and absence tracking, an extenuating circumstances process that runs through to appeal, and preparation for the Lifelong Learning Entitlement in January 2027.

Key features:

UK statutory returns
Recruitment portal and Clearing
Retention and absence tracking
Award Predictor for students

Pricing: not published.

5. Jenzabar One

If you run a US private college and want one vendor for students, money and staff, Jenzabar One combines Jenzabar Student, Financial Aid, Finance and HCM on a single cloud record.

It's built with adult and part-time learners in mind, so expect instalment plans and outreach across several channels. There's nothing on UK or European reporting. IDC named Jenzabar a Leader in its 2024 MarketScape for North American higher education SIS, and the Boston company cites more than 40 years in the sector.

Key features:

SIS and ERP from one vendor
Flexible payment plans
Omnichannel communications
Analytics and automated workflows

Pricing: not published.

6. Workday Student

If your HR and finance already run on Workday, Student puts your learners on the same platform, so you can analyse enrolment, staffing and budgets together. You'll get AI academic planning with at-risk insights for advisors and mobile-first self-service for students.

If you're not a Workday customer, the case is harder to make, and Workday cautions that unreleased features may change. Its named users include the University of Arkansas System, with 14 institutions on Workday HCM, Finance and Student, and Australian universities such as Deakin and Macquarie.

Key features:

Shared platform with Workday HCM and Financial Management
Skills intelligence
Workday Extend for custom apps
Embedded analytics

Pricing: not published; contact sales.

7. Oracle Student and PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

If you're on PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.2, Oracle offers a described route to Oracle Student in the cloud, which combines Student Management with Student Financial Planning for financial aid.

You'll find strong support for continuing education billing and consortia, but the documentation is US-centred. The curriculum registry handles courses of varying length, grading schemes and credit types, and dynamic entities let you set up joint degrees and exchanges without reimplementation.

Key features:

Curriculum registry for varied course structures
Pay-to-enrol billing and sponsorship agreements
Delegate access for proxies
Alongside Oracle Cloud ERP and HCM

Pricing: not published.

8. Ellucian

Large North American institutions will find Ellucian offering three student products, Banner, Colleague and Anthology Student, with its own HR and finance applications alongside. Aid processing and an AI tool that matches students to scholarships are where it shines.

Before you sign, get Ellucian to say which of its three student systems it would put you on, since there's no public plan for merging them. You'll be joining roughly 3,000 customer institutions in 50 countries, Gartner has rated the company a Leader for higher education SaaS SIS in back-to-back years, and the cloud edition of Banner upgrades itself.

Key features:

Student aid and scholarship tools
Degree planning and early alerts
REST APIs and the Ethos Data Model
Ellucian HCM and Finance

Pricing: not published; demo and ROI calculator available.

9. Classter

If you run schools and colleges together, Classter gives you one modular platform across every level, in seven website languages and with more than 40 integrations.

If you're a regulated university, though, you'll notice HESA and IPEDS aren't mentioned. You do get a published pricing example, a support portal with a public changelog, and services for migration and hosting if you'd rather not run those yourself.

Key features:

Modules from admissions to HR
Gradebook, assessments and attendance
Internship and thesis management
Open API

Pricing: per active student, by module; published example sets Core at €8.50 per active student.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't let the loudest department write the requirements. If only the registry is in the room, you'll buy a records system that frustrates admissions, and vice versa.

Don't skip the compliance check. Write down every return you file before your first demo, and drop any platform that can't handle them.

Don't accept a licence price on its own. Ask for implementation, support and integration costs in the same document, and compare the totals over the full contract term rather than the first year.

Don't migrate a mess. Clean your duplicate records and old course codes before you move them.

Don't cut over everything at once if you can avoid it. A big-bang switch during a live admissions cycle puts your next intake at risk.

How to Get the Most from These Tools

Run your first full cycle in a test environment: create a programme, take an application, enrol the student, record grades and issue a transcript. You'll catch problems while they're cheap to fix.

Phase the rollout if your platform allows it. Going live with admissions before the student record protects your next intake.

Schedule a trial statutory return well before the first real deadline. Give staff training time before go-live, and name an owner for every integration so someone is responsible when a connection changes.

Key Features to Look For

Look for a single learner record that covers admissions as well as studies, so data is entered once. Check for the statutory reporting your regulator requires. Ask about self-service portals, so students can find marks and pay fees without emailing you.

Look at integrations: documented APIs, single sign-on and ready-made connectors for the CRM, LMS and payment tools you're keeping. And ask for security certifications in writing. Full Fabric, for example, states ISO/IEC 27001:2022 across its whole platform; several other vendors have trust pages but don't list certifications in what they publish.

Which Tool Should You Choose?

Choose Full Fabric if you want CRM, admissions and student records on one platform with transparent pricing.

Choose Classe365 if you're a small provider without statutory returns.

Choose Thesis SM if you're a smaller UK or Canadian institution.

Choose Tribal SITS if you're a large UK university.

Choose Workday Student or Oracle Student if your HR and finance already run on those platforms.

Choose Jenzabar One if you're a US private college that wants one vendor for students, aid, finance and HR.