Best Academic Advising Software: 9 Student Success Platforms Compared by Fit, Pricing and Integrations

Advising teams rarely struggle for lack of effort. They struggle because student data lives in the student information system, the learning platform, spreadsheets and email. Academic advising software pulls those signals together so advisors can see who needs help and act before a term is lost. This guide compares nine platforms listed on SaaSPodium. For broader context, see our academic advising software category.

Student data carries legal obligations. In the United States, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidance from the Department of Education explains how institutions must protect education records. For a structured approach to managing privacy risk in any vendor, the NIST Privacy Framework is a practical reference. Many institutions also manage outreach in a CRM, so our guide on how to choose the best CRM is a useful companion.

How We Chose These Academic Advising Tools

We selected products from the SaaSPodium academic advising category using listing data: positioning, target institution size, deployment model and listed starting price. None of these products has a published rating or review count on SaaSPodium yet, so this list is not ranked by score.

All ten products in the category are paid and cloud-delivered. Nine are featured here. Because ratings are not yet available, we ordered the list by use case rather than by quality, and we describe only what the listing data supports. Treat every entry as a shortlist candidate and validate it through a demo and reference calls with peer institutions.

• Positioning: what the vendor says the product does, such as early alerts, degree audit or CRM.
• Fit: the institution sizes the listing targets, Medium, Enterprise or both.
• Cost signal: the listed starting price as of October 2026, which is a floor rather than a quote.
• Deployment: cloud, SaaS and web delivery for every product in this set.

Starfish: Best for Early Alerts and Care Coordination

Starfish suits institutions that want early alerts and care coordination in one place. Its listed tagline focuses on identifying at-risk students and coordinating support, which makes it a natural fit for retention-driven advising teams. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "Identify at-risk students and coordinate support." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Early alerts only help when advisors act on them, so look at how flags route to the right person. Starfish is listed for coordinating support around flagged students, which maps directly to that workflow. See the full Starfish listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: EAB; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 20,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Civitas Learning: Best for Data-Driven Advising

Civitas Learning positions itself as a student success intelligence platform. It fits institutions that want analytics to guide where advising effort goes, rather than only a scheduling and notes tool. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "The student success intelligence platform." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Analytics platforms need clean data feeds. Ask how enrollment, grades and engagement signals reach the platform and how advisors see the output inside their daily tools. See the full Civitas Learning listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Civitas Learning; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 40,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Anthology Student: Best for Student Record Alignment

Anthology Student is described as a cloud-based student information system. It suits large institutions that want advising data to sit close to the core student record instead of in a separate tool. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "A cloud-based student information system." and it is built for enterprise institutions.

A student information system holds registration, records and billing data. Placing advising near that data reduces duplicate entry, but it also ties your advising choice to your SIS roadmap. See the full Anthology Student listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Anthology; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 50,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Slate: Best for a Unified Higher Ed CRM

Slate is listed as a comprehensive CRM for higher education. It suits schools that want recruitment, enrollment and student success communication to share one relationship record. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "The comprehensive CRM for higher education." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Because Slate is a CRM, it is strongest where communication history matters. Check how advising notes, appointments and outreach campaigns are modeled for your own staff structure. See the full Slate listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Technolutions; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 35,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Student Success Hub: Best for Salesforce-Centric Institutions

Student Success Hub from Salesforce focuses on equitable, holistic student support. It suits enterprise institutions already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem and its configurable data model. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "Deliver equitable, holistic student support." and it is built for enterprise institutions.

A Salesforce-based product inherits the platform's configurability and its administration overhead. Budget for admin skills or a partner, and confirm how data privacy controls are set for student records. See the full Student Success Hub listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Salesforce; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 40,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

ConexED: Best for Budget-Conscious Mid-Sized Schools

ConexED is a student support and engagement platform. It has the lowest listed starting price in this category, so it is a practical shortlist candidate for mid-sized institutions with tighter budgets. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "The ultimate student support and engagement platform." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Appointment scheduling and virtual support are central to student engagement platforms. Test the student booking experience on a phone, since many students will use it there. See the full ConexED listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: ConexED; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 15,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Degree Works: Best for Degree Audit Accuracy

Degree Works from Ellucian is positioned as an academic advising and degree audit solution. It suits registrars and advising offices whose first priority is accurate progress toward degree requirements. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "Comprehensive academic advising and degree audit solution." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Degree audit accuracy depends on how well your catalog rules are encoded. Plan time with your registrar to validate requirement logic before any rollout to students. See the full Degree Works listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Ellucian; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 30,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Ellucian Advise: Best for Ellucian-Based Campuses

Ellucian Advise is a CRM-style advising product built to guide students toward success. It suits institutions that already run Ellucian systems and want advising workflows to follow the same vendor stack. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "CRM Advise: Guide every student to success." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Staying inside one vendor stack can simplify integration with your SIS and reduce custom API work. Weigh that convenience against flexibility if you later change systems. See the full Ellucian Advise listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: Ellucian; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 35,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

Navigate360: Best for Coordinated Student Success Teams

Navigate360 from EAB is listed as a student success CRM. It suits mid-sized and large institutions that want advisors, faculty and support staff working from one coordinated platform. Its SaaSPodium tagline reads "The industry's most trusted student success CRM." and it is built for medium and enterprise institutions.

Coordinated platforms depend on adoption by faculty and staff outside the advising office. Ask for a rollout plan covering training, alert ownership and reporting for retention goals. See the full Navigate360 listing for details.

• Vendor and deployment: EAB; cloud, SaaS and web delivery, which means no on-premise servers to maintain.
• Pricing model: paid, with a listed starting price of 25,000 on SaaSPodium (as of October 2026). Confirm currency, term and per-student scaling with the vendor.
• Target size and fit: Medium and Enterprise institutions. Details are on the product page.

What to Look for in Academic Advising Software

Look for degree audit accuracy, early alert workflows, appointment scheduling, SIS integration, reporting and student data privacy controls. These capabilities decide whether advisors save time and whether students actually engage, so weigh them against your advising model before comparing price.

Degree audit and planning

A degree audit maps completed and remaining coursework against program requirements. It lets advisors and students see progress without manual transcript reviews. Products such as Degree Works are positioned specifically for this job.

Early alerts and care coordination

Early alerts flag students who may be struggling so staff can intervene. Ask who receives each alert, how it is tracked to closure and how outcomes are reported. Starfish and Navigate360 are positioned around this workflow.

CRM and communication history

Higher education CRMs such as Slate, TargetX and Ellucian Advise keep a shared record of outreach. That helps when a student speaks to admissions, advising and financial aid in the same week. You can also review TargetX as the tenth product in the category.

Integrations with your ecosystem

Advising software should connect to your SIS, learning management system, single sign-on and data warehouse. The brief data lists no integration details, so request an integration inventory and API documentation from each vendor before you shortlist.

How to Estimate the Return on Advising Software

Estimate return by comparing retained tuition revenue against the total cost of ownership. Retention gains are institution specific, so use your own enrollment and tuition figures rather than vendor claims, and test the model with conservative assumptions.

Retained Revenue is the tuition from additional students who persist because of better advising. Total Cost includes licensing, implementation, integration work, training and staff time. If the result is positive only under optimistic retention assumptions, negotiate a pilot or phased contract.

Implementation Checklist for Advising Teams

Successful rollouts start with clean data, clear ownership and a small pilot. Define who owns alerts, who maintains catalog rules and who reports on outcomes before you sign a contract, then expand by cohort once advisors trust the data.

• Map current advising workflows and name the top three pain points.
• Inventory data sources: SIS, LMS, tutoring, financial aid and appointment systems.
• Request a security and privacy review aligned with FERPA and your internal policy.
• Run a pilot with one college or cohort and measure advisor time and student contact rates.
• Train faculty and staff outside advising, since alerts depend on their participation.
• Agree on reporting for retention, persistence and time to degree.

Which Academic Advising Software Should You Choose?

Choose by your main gap. Pick a degree audit product if requirement tracking is weak, a student success CRM if coordination is weak, and a campus-wide CRM if recruitment and advising should share one record. Budget and existing vendors then narrow the shortlist.

• Retention and alerts: Starfish and Navigate360.
• Degree audit: Degree Works.
• Analytics: Civitas Learning.
• Higher ed CRM: Slate and Ellucian Advise.
• Lowest listed starting price: ConexED.
• Enterprise Salesforce shops: Student Success Hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does academic advising software cost?
Every product in the SaaSPodium category is priced as paid, with listed starting prices from 15,000 (ConexED) to 50,000 (Anthology Student) as of October 2026. Final cost depends on student headcount, modules and contract term, so request a written quote with a multi-year breakdown.

How long does it take to implement academic advising software?
The brief data does not state implementation times, so ask each vendor for a timeline. Plan around catalog and SIS data validation, advisor training and a pilot with one college or student cohort before campus-wide launch.

How do I choose between a degree audit tool and a student success CRM?
Choose a degree audit tool such as Degree Works when accurate requirement tracking is the main gap. Choose a student success CRM such as Navigate360 or Starfish when coordination, alerts and outreach are the bigger problem. Many institutions need both.