Starfish vs Navigate360 vs Ellucian Advise vs Civitas Learning: Which Advising Platform Fits?

Academic advising platforms give advisors a shared view of each student, flag those at risk and coordinate outreach across offices. The four platforms here appear in the Academic Advising Software category and are all priced for institutional budgets, not individual departments. Two of them, Starfish and Navigate360, come from the same vendor, which makes the choice between them unusual.

Advising data is education records data, so any platform you adopt must support your obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Retention and completion are the outcomes most advising programs aim to improve, and the U.S. Department of Education tracks them in its NCES retention and graduation rate data. For a wider survey of tools, see our best academic advising software guide. EAB's own site is at eab.com.

Overview: Four Student Success Platforms

All four platforms are paid, cloud-based and listed for medium and enterprise institutions. Starfish and Navigate360 are both EAB products, Ellucian Advise comes from Ellucian, and Civitas Learning is an independent student success intelligence platform.

The taglines point to different emphases. Starfish focuses on identifying at-risk students and coordinating support. Navigate360 describes itself as a student success CRM. Ellucian Advise frames itself as a CRM that guides every student to success, and Civitas Learning stresses intelligence built on student data.

Feature Focus: Early Alerts, CRM and Analytics

Starfish is positioned around early alerts and support coordination, Navigate360 and Ellucian Advise around student success CRM workflows, and Civitas Learning around analytics. Confirm each capability in a scripted demo, because taglines do not show depth.

• Early alerts and referrals: the core of Starfish's positioning. Ask how faculty raise flags and how advisors close the loop.
• Outreach and case management: the CRM framing of Navigate360 and Ellucian Advise. Ask about campaigns, appointment scheduling and caseload views.
• Predictive analytics: the emphasis of Civitas Learning. Ask which data it needs, how predictions are explained and how bias is monitored.

Pricing Compared

Listed starting prices run from $20,000 for Starfish to $40,000 for Civitas Learning as of October 2026. Navigate360 sits at $25,000 and Ellucian Advise at $35,000. Final quotes usually depend on enrollment, modules and implementation scope.

Compare cost against the outcome you are buying. A simple way to frame the business case is the retention return on investment calculation.

Retained tuition revenue is the net tuition from students who stay because of improved advising, and total platform cost includes licenses, implementation and staff time. Be conservative about how many retained students you can credit to the platform.

Integrations and Architecture

These platforms rely on your student information system, learning management system and degree audit data. Ellucian Advise sits naturally beside other Ellucian products such as Degree Works, while other institutions pair advising tools with a student information system such as Anthology Student.

Ask every vendor how data syncs (batch or near real time), which fields it needs, how single sign-on works and how it handles role-based access so advisors only see students they serve. Check hosting, audit logs and breach notification terms against your FERPA obligations.

Pros and Cons

Each platform trades price, scope and ecosystem fit differently. Use the points below as prompts for your demos, since SaaSPodium listings do not yet include verified user ratings for these products.

• Starfish: lowest listed starting price and clear early-alert positioning. Confirm CRM depth if you need outreach campaigns.
• Navigate360: described as a trusted student success CRM at $25,000. Ask how it differs from Starfish, since both are EAB products.
• Ellucian Advise: fits institutions standardized on Ellucian. Check how it works if your core systems come from another vendor.
• Civitas Learning: highest listed starting price, with an analytics emphasis. Verify the model transparency and the work needed to act on its insights.

Who Should Choose Which

Choose Starfish for early-alert coordination on a tighter budget, Navigate360 or Ellucian Advise for CRM-style outreach, and Civitas Learning when predictive analytics is the priority and your data teams can support it. Always run a pilot with real advisors before signing.

• Community colleges and mid-size campuses: start with Starfish and Navigate360.
• Ellucian campuses: evaluate Ellucian Advise first for ecosystem fit.
• Data-mature institutions: add Civitas Learning to the shortlist.

Evaluation Checklist for Your Demos

Score every vendor on the same scenarios: an advisor reviewing a caseload, a faculty member raising an alert, a student booking an appointment and a dean pulling a retention report. Identical scripts make price and capability differences visible and keep sales demos from steering the decision.

• Advisor workflow: time how many clicks it takes to see a student's holds, grades, notes and degree progress in one place.
• Data readiness: list the source systems you must connect and ask for named references that use the same student information system.
• Governance: confirm who can see notes, how long records are kept and how audit trails work for FERPA reviews.
• Change management: ask what training, admin tooling and customer success staffing is included in the quoted price.
• Exit terms: confirm you can export notes, alerts and appointment history if you leave.

Verdict

No platform wins on every criterion. Starfish offers the lowest entry price, Navigate360 and Ellucian Advise lead on CRM positioning, and Civitas Learning leads on analytics. Shortlist two, script the same advisor scenarios in each demo and score them against retention goals.

Budget beyond the license. Plan for data integration work, advisor training time, and an internal owner who manages alert rules and reporting after launch. Platforms fail most often when nobody owns the workflow, not because of a missing feature. A pilot with one college, clear success metrics such as first-year persistence and appointment completion, and a decision date gives you evidence before you commit to a multi-year contract.

Also consider adjacent admissions and CRM tools such as Slate if recruitment and advising data need to connect.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does academic advising software cost?
Listed starting prices in the SaaSPodium directory are $20,000 for Starfish, $25,000 for Navigate360, $35,000 for Ellucian Advise and $40,000 for Civitas Learning as of October 2026. Final quotes depend on enrollment, modules and implementation, so request a written proposal.

Should we choose Starfish or Navigate360?
Both are EAB products, so ask EAB to explain how their roles differ for your campus. Starfish is positioned around early alerts and support coordination, while Navigate360 is positioned as a student success CRM. Run the same advising scenarios in both demos.

How long does an advising platform take to implement?
Timelines depend on how many source systems you connect and how many advisor workflows you configure. Expect an implementation of months, not weeks, and ask each vendor for a phased plan that gets one college or program live before a full rollout.