# Slate Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Slate the right Admissions solution for you? Explore 44 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/140281/Slate/reviews --- Slate 4.2 (44) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/140281/Slate/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Slate Ease of use 3.9 Customer Service 4.0 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JH John H Department HeadEducation Management, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It makes the job of evaluating applicants more difficult.“ January 27, 2024 Jane C. D Assistant ProfessorHigher Education, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I found trying to read the files in the system to be a bit clunky and would simply download it to read offline when I reviewed a large number of applications.“ April 16, 2021 RK Robin K Director, TechnologyE-Learning, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “So far, we think we may have invested in the wrong product and are considering replacing it with something a little more robust.“ May 25, 2021 SK Sophie K Assistant Director of Admission ProgramsHigher Education, 5,001 - 10,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “it takes a while to learn the different areas of the platform so it is not super user friendly off the bat“ July 22, 2020 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 44 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Sarah E. Associate Director of Admissions Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "As powerful as your commitment" November 23, 2020 4.0 I'm not an IT person, so Slate has been challenging at times. Being an administrator, I've had to learn a lot about coding and SQL to really make the most of it. I've spent many, many hours troubleshooting issues and reading through their Knowledge Base to understand how everything works—and even then, I don't always get it right. Because of this huge learning curve, I've become the primary contact in admissions for all questions relating to Slate. While it makes sense that not everyone will have the time to devote to learning the ins and outs, I'd recommend having at least a few people who are tasked with thoroughly understanding the product so it doesn't become a burden. Overall, we're extremely satisfied with Slate and we're happy we went with it, but it hasn't always been easy. Pros Slate is by far the most comprehensive and powerful tool on the market for managing student information. As someone who specifically uses Slate for undergraduate admissions, I can say that our team would not be able to do the type of recruitment nor the sheer volume of recruitment that we're doing now without it. There are so many features that have helped to automate and streamline our processes—from application review and management to event management and email marketing campaigns. It can do just about anything you'd ever need it to, if you know how to set it up. Cons As someone who works heavily on the "back end" of the product setting everything up and managing our student data, I can say that Slate is only as powerful as your commitment to it. Because it's so customizable, that means your administrators are responsible for making Slate a useful and powerful tool for your team. There is little to nothing that comes set up out of the box and it's taken our small team of admissions and IT staff roughly 2 years to fully "implement" the product. Alternatives considered [Salesforce.org Nonprofit Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/265078/Salesforceorg-Nonprofit-Cloud/) Reason for choosing Slate I'd spoken with several people at other institutions who were switching from both of these products to Slate. That made it pretty clear that Slate was the product to have! Review Source KD Kelsey D. Director of Admission Operations Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent Admission CRM" November 6, 2023 5.0 Pros Slate is completely customizable, which seems daunting at first, but is incredibly freeing. It was do absolutely anything we need it to do for our office and has without a doubt allowed us to work both harder and smarter and increase numbers and results across the board. Cons Because it's completely customizable, the company leans hard into a community support network. This can be super helpful, but also frustrating when you need support and other schools aren't able to help. The company seems to be actively working to solve this though. Switched from [Jenzabar One](https://www.capterra.com/p/132292/Jenzabar-ERP/) The features Slate offers are far greater than those of JRM. Review Source KJ Kimberle J. Scientist Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "AVOID at all costs - the least user friendly software I've ever used" June 18, 2025 1.0 Absolutely terrible not user friendly. We have to have cheat sheets for anything we want to do because NOTHING is obvious. And I am a highly experienced and very well educated software user. Good software doesn't require a manual or descriptions with pictures. I mean instructors can't even say in words how to do things - they have to show you in screen shots - that is how bad the software is. Pros It's digital - one of the very few good things about this software. You can send requests to the people that are writing recommendations - those two things are probably the only 2 good things about the software. It doesn't even seem to be able to screen out applicants from previous years in an obvious way. Cons Nothing and I do mean nothing is obvious in Slate. This is truly one of the worst pieces of software I have ever used. This is my second year using it and I am so grateful that my program is small. Moving things to queues and then to bins - it's all super dumb that you can't just state in plain language what you want to do with an application and have it get there. I just had to defer someone and that process was terrible. The defer documentation has to be attached to the application not the person - what? so dumb. Review Source NG Nathalie G. Assistant Director Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best I have ever used!" July 8, 2022 5.0 Overall we migrated from Salesforce and it has been smooth sailing! I couldn’t be happier and cannot even imagine us without Slate. Amazing work! Pros The most impactful feature on this software is the ease with pulling up data, queries and reports. Cons My least favorite thing is if a rule is broken it has a significant impact on the data. Although we have managed this issue better with having a small System team, it is something we keep an eye on constantly Switched from [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) Too many errors with Salesforce and reports restrictions. Review Source Ryan H. Systems Specialist for Enrollment Management Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "This is the BEST CRM for education that you will find" January 30, 2019 5.0 Our organization has been using Slate for 3 years and we are still in love with the product. It might sound strange, but I look forward to coming into work just to use the software. It makes our jobs so much easier that it's released a lot of tension that was in the office with our previous vendor. Pros The balance between features, flexibility, and setup is unmatched by any other product I've used. The thing I most like about Slate is that it is so easy to use. I haven't used any other product that gets usability this spot on. Cons At the yearly Slate Summit when new features are announced, it can take awhile for them to be added to the software. However, this is really more that they have setup such high expectations on response to issues, that delayed release of a feature seeks like a big issue. Review Source SL Stephen L. Vice President, Sponsor Relations Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Worst Advancement/Fundraising Tool on the Market" September 14, 2022 1.0 Overwhelming negative Pros The admission/enrollment piece is solid - we manage our scholarship program via this instance Cons Anything that has to do with advancement, development, fundraising, donations, constituent management, reporting, queries, communications, or money. Also, customer service is nonexistent Alternatives considered [Blackbaud Altru](https://www.capterra.com/p/212448/Blackbaud-Altru/) Reason for choosing Slate Costs - though the consultant costs have negated any anticipated savings Switched from [Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT](https://www.capterra.com/p/247647/Blackbaud-Raiser-s-Edge-NXT/) It was an organizational decision to find a comprehensive tool to solve numerous issues. It only made things worse Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Director of Enrollment Systems and Data Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Industry leader and still going" February 14, 2019 5.0 Unified all of our disparate admission processes into one platform. Pros The product sells itself as evidenced by the lack of sales staff that Technolutions has. It is very intuitive, has great customer support, and a vibrant user community. Definitely goes past a CRM and into a total admissions office solution. Cons Doesn't always have system integrations that platforms like Salesforce have as they try to build functionality into the product itself. Some of the features that are rolled out are very innovative but don't always catch on with the user community (happens a lot with every software provider though). Review Source Larry B. Assistant Director of Institutional Research and Information Management Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "By far the customer relationships management tool for admissions" November 27, 2018 5.0 Pros Easy to use, customizable, fully useable by any level user. This tool is by far the best for managing the admissions process include amazing communications abilities, including texting, custom post cards, and of course emails. Cons They do make lots of enhancements, if that can be a negative? Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Admissions Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Brilliant Tool" September 9, 2020 5.0 For a person who worked in universities for over ten years, I'd say it's like an additional assistant. You can do so much with this, it's up to one's imagination. Pros I love that you can do pretty much anything you want with this software when you are given permission by the administrator. It is a database, it is a coordination tool, it is an event planner, it's an online application, and the list goes on. It is very user friendly once you get the just of it and it's extremely customizable. Cons It's so efficient, it's a little scary. For someone who likes her privacy it's crazy to know that there is a database that can literally see what you are doing when in it and records all your actions. Review Source Paul H. Associate Director of Admissions- Graduate Business Programs Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The most powerful tool in our field. Simply put. " April 26, 2018 4.0 Pros The creation on quick reports that help me manage applicants. The scheduling functionality is handy and the streamlining of shared reports between colleagues is a nice feature as well. Makes going through applicants more effective. Cons The only con is that it can be overwhelming to tackle everything Slate has to offer. The training videos on the site should be more prominent. Review Source JD Julia D. Admissions Program Assistant Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Technolutions slate" February 12, 2019 3.0 Pros \- queries -calendar of events - lookup by name or email Cons inability to customize our own application more would like to be able to look up a profile by phone number way too many duplicate profiles that should be caught sooner by the system Review Source SH Sasha H. Business Administrator Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Premier enrollment management tool" November 29, 2018 4.0 Pros One of the most helpful tools was the ability to create custom queries on any number of parameters. Also of importance is the ability to manage student information and communication plans (current and historical) in a single system. Cons The implementation period was lengthier than we had expected. Review Source AG Amanda G. Freelance Writer Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Data Simplified " January 23, 2020 5.0 Slate is a trustworthy tool that can be used easily for the basics. It is apt for more complicated tasks, if you wish to take your CRM use to the next level. Pros Slate makes it easy to work with data from micro and macro levels. Communication streams can be incorporated from within the platform. Cons To submit a review I need to have content in the “cons” text box. So I will say users look forward to the continuous improvements Slate is known for. Review Source RK Robin K. Director, Technology E-Learning Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not as good as it looks." May 25, 2021 2.0 So far, we think we may have invested in the wrong product and are considering replacing it with something a little more robust. Pros Appeared to have many preconfigured fields, ability to sort and filter on multiple levels, easy user deployment Cons Just about everything needs customized. Default fields are mostly useless, and the support is limited. Review Source ES Elaine S. Web Developer and User Interface Specialist Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Industry standard" July 18, 2017 4.0 Pros They are always working to add new features and make things simpler. They listen to customer feedback and make changes based on it. Cons Access levels leave something to be desired - it's hard to grant viewing permissions to give a web developer analytics access without also handing them administrative privileges. Review Source AA Amber A. Academic Advisor Higher Education Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Horrible for Academic Advising!" April 16, 2025 1.0 Admissions, great. Everything else is terrible. Pros Admissions side is good, that's about all. Cons For advising purposes at our university, Slate has been terrible. Very slow lag times, constant glitches happening, continuous issues. Everyone in our office cannot stand this software (including advisors in other offices as well). Review Source AG Annalisa G. Sr. Admin Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Slate is One of the Best Admission Tools" May 21, 2019 3.0 Overall, Slate makes processing applications easy. Checklists, assigning materials directly from the inbox, and emailing students directly from the application are all features that I use heavily, and have had no trouble with. Highly recommend. Pros I'll focus on the application processing side: -Easy to assign materials directly to application accounts from Slate inbox -Easy to set up connectivity between your application portal and various rounds during the cycle -Easy to sort data once the applicants submit -Easy to set up checklists of items and audit based on the checklist -Easy to email students if they are missing items -Easy to see when students are opening emails from you reminding them to submit materials Cons From the Admissions processing side of things: -Sometimes items which should auto-check off do not, and you have to catch these manually -Sometimes items which you have set up to be part of a checklist don't show up at all in the checklist, and you have to add them manually -there's a lot of scrolling, and no way to jump down to the bottom of application item lists, which can actually take up a lot of time! It's clunky to have to click between tabs and manually scroll to a field. Review Source CI Chardonnay I. Coordinator for Social Media Marketing Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Slate: One-stop shop for admissions" December 10, 2019 5.0 In admissions, we deal with different student populations, which require different forms, communications, etc. Before Slate, we would have forms in our admissions drive housed on everyone's desktop, and the people managing the forms would have tons of emails asking where a form is. Now, all of the information is housed within Slate and clearly labeled. Communication and processes are more effective. We still have more features to explore and implement! Pros Slate has a very clear user interface and it's easy to learn how to use, whether you have experience building forms and queries or not. We're able to house all of our marketing emails and other communications in the same place as our admissions processing. Some of our forms that were housed in Microsoft Excel or other intranet sites were transferred to Slate, making it easier to organize all the information we have. We're also able to conduct applicant review within Slate. Cons The events calendar can look very overwhelming, but it's because of the volume of events we host in our office. Although I like the Slate Reader for reviewing applications, I wish it would open in its own window so going back to a file is easier. Review Source WB William B. Assistant Director of Marketing Communications Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "The best CRM for higher ed admissions" September 17, 2021 5.0 Pros Slate is by far the best CRM for higher ed admissions. It's incredibly easy to use (once you get your head around some basics) and it's noticeably designed from the ground up with the admission process in mind. They're also great with customer service and have spent a lot of time cultivating a community of Slate users who all work together to make the most of the product. Cons Slate is long overdue for some marketing, campaign, and communications updates. Deliver is still behind other more commercial CRMs in terms of capabilities, and I'd love to see queries, reports, template communications, and events updated with an eye for easing the customer journey and streamlining communications. Review Source BS Bryanne S. Admissions Counselor Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Connect with Students" January 10, 2023 4.0 Slate gives our intuition the ability to connect with students in a timely manner and track historical data based on a variety of factors. This allows our team to "work smarter not harder." Pros The ability to connect with students through personalized communication is highly impact as an Admissions Counselor. My team and I are able to set up queries to pull select groups of students into messaging lists to support students throughout the admissions process. The ability to communicate with students via text is powerful as many students will respond to a quick text message over an email. Cons Slate can be rather particular. Having a CRM manager has a huge impact on my work on the satisfaction of my work. I cannot speak from the CRM manager perspective, as I imagine the "cons" of Slate are likely found there. Review Source CH Chris H. Assistant Director - Marketing Higher Education Used the software for: 2+ years ### "You will never need another CRM" January 13, 2019 5.0 Slate InBox has been a game changer for our customer service efforts. We can quickly assign questions and get them answered, as well as document the interaction. Enrollment Management is a vert complex business and managing lists and customer data needs to be sophisticated and easy to use. Slate is both. Pros While I love most of the features, what I like most is the support and constantly-improving culture of Slate. We get questions answered quickly and new products built sometimes within a few days of request. I am in the higher ed industry and the document reader makes managing high volume application loads and accessing/reading very easy. We have yet to be disappointed by the CRM. Cons Deliver (building email campaigns) lacks in terms of design features. As our most impactful channel, we hoped the feature would get more of an upgrade. Review Source KH Katherine H. Senior Student Recruitment Specialist Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Slate" May 5, 2022 4.0 Overall positive. I love the Timeline feature, it is my favorite thing to use. Pros Once you have gotten used to the set up, it isn't hard to use. You get to now the best places on a student profile to find information, track their application status, etc. Cons It's not super intuitive. Information that is closely related can be spread apart in different places (I often have to go between the Read Appliation section, Timeline Section, and The application tab to find the info I need) But other wise I don't have many issues with it. Review Source TH Tina H. Professor Education Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Takes Some Time to Learn" June 23, 2022 5.0 Functional after a big learning curve, but easy after you get the hang of it, Slate is useful for the admissions process but could use a few updates to make it more user friendly. Pros I like that I could read the applications and score with relative ease, once I was able to locate the files. Cons Navigation is not easy or user intuitive. I needed help. I also was confused by the chat or social piece up top... I'm not sure why people would use an admissions app to be social. There are functions on there that I never use. Review Source KG Kayla G. Admissions Operations Manager Higher Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Slate is Great! " May 7, 2021 5.0 Our catchphrase is "With Slate all things are possible"--and we mean it! There are SO MANY things that we never would've been able to do with our previous CRM. We haven't regretted the switch for one second! Pros Slate is the \*best\* CRM for admissions. There's so many wonderful things I can say! The unlimited licenses, the easily accessed data/reporting, the ability to quickly segment your audience in so! many! ways! Really, Slate has made our lives so much better. I can't say enough good things about it! Cons I've found that Slate has its own jargon, and it's sometimes hard to find definitions/what those terms mean outside of Slate. But that's really my only complaint! Review Source JA Jeremy A. Project Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Great application management software, not the easiest to use." June 5, 2018 5.0 Pros Slate has a large set of features and makes collecting and reviewing applications rather easy. - Applicants are able to submit their applications entirely online. - We are able to review and send admissions decisions through Slate. - The Mail-Merge function (called "Deliver" in Slate) is quite robust for ongoing applicant contact. - The ability to Query tool in Slate is (mostly) intuitive and easy to use. Despite a somewhat steep learning curve (see the 'Cons' Section), I would recommend using Slate to streamline the application process. Cons While Slate is a very powerful tool, it is not polished. Slate documentation is there, but not robust. The customer service feels similar. Slate has a steep learning curve. Once you get there, the software is very powerful, but it takes some time. Slate also has some database limitations. Slate stores Applicants (people who have submitted an application) and Prospects (people who are interested, but have not yet submitted an application) in two separate databases. This means that you cannot search both at once without some SQL work. Review Source Similar Products Featured