{"question": "best student information systems for colleges", "category": "student-information-systems", "category_name": "student information systems", "audience": "colleges", "audience_name": "colleges", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-16T01:24:49Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/student-information-systems-colleges-2026-10-16", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/student-information-systems/colleges", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Fedena", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Infinite Campus", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Alma", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "K-12", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Ellucian", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Ellucian Banner", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Banner", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Colleague", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Oracle", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 10, "brand": "PostgreSQL", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 11, "brand": "Ellucian Colleague", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 12, "brand": "Workday", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 13, "brand": "Workday Student", "label": "recommended"}, {"position": 14, "brand": "Jenzabar", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 15, "brand": "multi-year", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 16, "brand": "Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 17, "brand": "Anthology", "label": "compared"}, {"position": 18, "brand": "Anthology Student", "label": "compared"}, {"position": 19, "brand": "Peer", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 20, "brand": "Jenzabar One", "label": "compared"}, {"position": 21, "brand": "Populi", "label": "recommended"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://www.itechguides.com/best/student-information-systems/", "domain": "itechguides.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.softwareadvice.com/student-information-system/", "domain": "softwareadvice.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://listedtech.com/blog/north-american-sis-highered-market-share-january-2025-update/", "domain": "listedtech.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://inside.southernct.edu/information-technology/banner-saas-transition", "domain": "inside.southernct.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://source.washu.edu/2024/10/workday-student-deployment-year-begins/", "domain": "source.washu.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://projectone.uasys.edu/", "domain": "projectone.uasys.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://miamioh.edu/workday-info/faqs.html", "domain": "miamioh.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://www.depauw.edu/it/workday/project-timeline/", "domain": "depauw.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://hub.williams.edu/workday/", "domain": "hub.williams.edu", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://www.gartner.com/reviews/product/anthology-student", "domain": "gartner.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://www.rfp.wiki/education-training/higher-education-student-information-system-saas/jenzabar-one/anthology", "domain": "rfp.wiki", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.capterra.com/p/89408/Populi/", "domain": "capterra.com", "source_type": "review"}, {"url": "https://abcloudz.com/newsletter/march-2026/", "domain": "abcloudz.com", "source_type": "other"}], "answer_text": "## Important framing first\n\nA lot of \"best SIS 2026\" listicles rank things like openSIS, Fedena, Infinite Campus and Alma at the top ([itechguides](https://www.itechguides.com/best/student-information-systems/), [Software Advice](https://www.softwareadvice.com/student-information-system/)). Those are mostly **K-12** products - they don't handle financial aid packaging, Title IV, degree audit, or SEVIS, so ignore them for a college. The real higher-ed market is a short list of maybe eight vendors, and the right answer depends mostly on your size and whether you're willing to be an early-ish adopter.\n\n## The ones I'd actually name\n\n**1. Ellucian Banner** - the default answer for mid-size and large institutions. It's the market leader at ~24% share in North America, and notably its growth now comes from *upgrades and migrations in* (from Colleague and PowerCampus) rather than new logos ([ListEdTech](https://listedtech.com/blog/north-american-sis-highered-market-share-january-2025-update/)). Deepest functional coverage, biggest consultant and peer ecosystem, nobody gets fired for choosing it. The live issue in 2026 is the Banner SaaS transition: Ellucian drops support for locally devel", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}