# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for student information systems (colleges) on 2026-09-25

## In short

On 2026-09-25, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best student information systems for colleges". It named 15 brands; the first six, in order, were Ellucian, Anthology, Ellucian Banner, Ellucian Colleague, Workday and Jenzabar.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best student information systems for colleges |
| Asked on | 2026-09-25 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 15 |
| Sources cited | 10 |
| Audience | colleges |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-25 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/student-information-systems-colleges-2026-09-25
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-25 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> The honest answer: the "best" SIS is almost entirely determined by your institution's size and type, not by a global quality ranking. And one big thing changed recently - **Ellucian acquired Anthology's SIS and ERP business out of Anthology's Chapter 11 process, closing December 31, 2025 and announced January 5, 2026**, bringing 260+ customers over. That consolidation should shape how you read any older comparison. ([Ellucian newsroom](https://www.ellucian.com/newsroom/ellucian-completes-acquisition-anthologys-sis-and-erp-business), [Campus Technology](https://campustechnology.com/articles/2026/01/05/ellucian-officially-acquires-anthologys-sis-and-erp-business.aspx))
> 
> Here's who I'd actually name, roughly in the order I'd bring them up:
> 
> **1. Ellucian Banner** - The default for large public universities and complex multi-campus systems; ~1,400+ institutions. Deepest ecosystem, largest consultant/talent pool, lowest implementation risk. The tradeoff is aging architecture and customization debt. If you're a big public, this is the incumbent you have to argue *against*, not *for*.
> 
> **2. Ellucian Colleague** - Same vendor, different lineage: built for community colleges and smaller ins

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellucian | mentioned |
| 2 | Anthology | mentioned |
| 3 | Ellucian Banner | mentioned |
| 4 | Ellucian Colleague | mentioned |
| 5 | Workday | mentioned |
| 6 | Jenzabar | mentioned |
| 7 | US | mentioned |
| 8 | Jenzabar One | mentioned |
| 9 | Populi | recommended |
| 10 | Campus Café | mentioned |
| 11 | Café | mentioned |
| 12 | Tribal SITS | mentioned |
| 13 | PowerSchool | mentioned |
| 14 | Infinite Campus | mentioned |
| 15 | Skyward | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://www.ellucian.com/newsroom/ellucian-completes-acquisition-anthologys-sis-and-erp-business (vendor)
- https://campustechnology.com/articles/2026/01/05/ellucian-officially-acquires-anthologys-sis-and-erp-business.aspx (other)
- https://ibl.ai/resources/comparisons/banner-vs-workday-student (other)
- https://www.g2.com/compare/anthology-student-vs-ellucian-student-powered-by-banner-and-colleague (review)
- https://www.capterra.com/p/89408/Populi/reviews/ (review)
- https://www.capterra.com/p/2191/Campus-Cafe/ (review)
- https://erp.today/ellucian-completes-anthology-sis-and-erp-acquisition-adding-260-higher-education-customers/ (other)
- https://www.fullfabric.com/articles/top-student-information-systems-2026 (other)
- https://www.capterra.com/p/2191/Campus-Cafe/reviews/ (review)
- https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/higher-education-student-information-system-software-as-a-service (review)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/student-information-systems/colleges

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.