--- title: "Ellucian Student Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about Ellucian Student Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Financial Management products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/171158/Banner-Finance/" page_type: "product" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-21" --- # Ellucian Student Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on October 21, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Ellucian Student ## What is Ellucian Student? Built for higher education. Ellucian Banner Finance is a management ERP solution that enables higher education institutions to access and manage their financial information, automate all financial processes, monitor budget and grant-related activity. Financial Aid Module: Simplifies the financial aid process by providing students and staff with tools to manage applications, awards, and disbursements efficiently. This transparency helps students understand their financial standing and obligations. Finance Module: Offers comprehensive financial management tools, including budgeting, accounting, and procurement, enabling institutions to maintain fiscal responsibility and transparency. ## What is Ellucian Student used for? [School Accounting](https://www.capterra.com/school-accounting-software/)[Financial Management](https://www.capterra.com/financial-management-software/)[Higher Education](https://www.capterra.com/higher-education-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 39 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 59% Neutral 33% Negative 8% ### Starting price Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Ellucian Student?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/ellucian-student/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Ellucian Student 3.7 (39) VS. [4.7 (2,934)](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $39 Flat Rate, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 3.1 (39) Ease Of Use 4.7 (2,910) Value For Money 3.1 (22) Value For Money 4.5 (2,341) Customer Service 3.2 (25) Customer Service 4.5 (2,169) ## Ellucian Student alternatives [4.3 (718)](https://www.capterra.com/p/76/Intacct/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 86% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (115)](https://www.capterra.com/p/155900/Classter/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 93% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.6 (455)](https://www.capterra.com/p/133283/Alma/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.3 (167)](https://www.capterra.com/p/130199/LeadSquared/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 86% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars ## FAQs about Ellucian Student Overview ### Which roles and teams benefit most from Ellucian Student? Ellucian Student is most used by financial aid, accounting, and payroll teams that manage student funding, billing, payments, purchasing, and institutional financial records. Student services, housing, and scholarship coordinators track learner records and support needs, while IT, enterprise applications, and integration teams maintain data connections, reporting, and system administration. Academic staff support program and instructional processes. Answer based on 39 reviews Overview ### What company size and industries is Ellucian Student built for? Ellucian Student is meant for higher-education leadership, with enterprise organizations representing 50% of reviewers and Higher Education accounting for 61%. It also serves midsize institutions (36%) and Education Management organizations (28%), supporting roles such as provosts, registrars, CIOs, and student-success leaders. Financial Management is the most common use case, reported by 50%. Answer based on 39 reviews Features and Usability ### What are the key features of Ellucian Student? Ellucian Student offers AI Copilot, generative AI, and predictive analytics for data-driven student support, along with activity dashboards and customizable reports for tracking key metrics. It also includes financial aid management, communication management, API access, and third-party integrations for higher education workflows. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does Ellucian Student offer? Ellucian Student provides live online sessions and documentation. Live online training supports guided setup and instructor-led instruction, while documentation offers written reference material for self-paced learning and feature lookup. Answer based on 3 reviews Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does Ellucian Student offer? Ellucian Student provides email/help desk and phone support. Users describe support as uneven: some praise knowledgeable subject matter experts, while others report gaps in module understanding and frustration with changes in customer-facing support resources and community tools. Answer based on 2 reviews Features and Usability ### How user-friendly is the Ellucian Student interface? Ellucian Student provides a more accessible interface in newer Banner releases, with easier form search, reorganized pages, dashboards, and shortcuts. However, many higher education administrators still find the forms-based design dated, code-heavy, and difficult to navigate, especially for unfamiliar tasks or complex finance workflows. Answer based on 18 reviews Features and Usability ### Is Ellucian Student easy to use? Ellucian Student supports efficient daily work after staff learn its forms, codes, and keyboard shortcuts, but it has a steep learning curve. Higher education administrative teams often need formal training and written procedures for searches, reporting, invoice entry, and version transitions; experienced users can move between screens quickly. Answer based on 13 reviews ## Features AI summary Based on 1,574 Financial Management reviews Capterra data shows that buyers of Financial Management software rank the following features as their top priorities: - **General Ledger** (**59%** of reviewers rated this feature as critical) - **Financial Reporting** (**49%**) - **Accounting** (**61%**) Ellucian Student supports all three of the features reviewers identify as most important: **General Ledger**, **Financial Reporting**, and **Accounting**. Combined, these capabilities help businesses maintain accurate financial records, track performance through clear reporting, and manage core accounting processes more efficiently, allowing teams to make informed financial decisions and keep day-to-day operations on track. Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities AI Copilot A virtual assistant that uses AI to pursue goals and complete tasks on behalf of users API Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases Communication Management Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat Customizable Reports Alter the layout and content of reports Financial Aid Management Manage information and/or provide updates regarding student financial aid Ellucian Student 10 features ### All Features - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - AI Copilot: A virtual assistant that uses AI to pursue goals and complete tasks on behalf of users - API: Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases - Communication Management: Manage and track all internal and external communication conducted via calls, email, text, or chat - Customizable Reports: Alter the layout and content of reports - Financial Aid Management: Manage information and/or provide updates regarding student financial aid - For Higher Education: Software designed for higher education organizations - Generative AI: Use AI to generate content in the form of text, images, videos, etc. - Predictive Analytics: Predict future data based on historical data sets - Third-Party Integrations: Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 3.6 (39) 3.6 Based on 39 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 3.1 (22) ### Starting price Free trial not available Value for money 3.1 (22) 3.1 Based on 22 reviews Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 3.2 (25) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 3.2 (25) 3.2 Based on 25 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 3.7 Based on 39 reviews Filter by rating Counts reflect reviews available in this feed. 5(9) 4(14) 3(13) 2(1) 1(2) Mentioned topic Recent reviews first, then most helpful RE Reviewer Accountant - Internal Controls Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "I use this software every day for my accounting job at a major Midwest university." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 July 24, 2018 This software has allowed me to be very efficient with my work as I am able to identify any accounting issues that may arise. Additionally, the system makes it very easy to look at prior fiscal years, which is a very large benefit when our auditors are asking for that information. Pros This software, and the newest update, has made accounting a breeze. The financial system allows me to easily see where any reconciling item may be, and allows me reference codes so I may gather further detail. The new capability of using Chrome is a great feature as well because our entire organization is comfortable with the format. Cons My only con would be that on some screens I am not able to copy certain data, which requires me to manually input the data. This is a small complaint because it is minimal amounts of typing. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Accountant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Banner Finance and related Ellucian products" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 July 19, 2023 Ellucian is a robust computer system. Data does not get lost unexpectedly. There are exception reports that allow us to keep the financial records in balance and control reports that allow us to keep the subsidiary ledgers in agreement with the control accounts. Pros Implementing software systems is difficult but we had some excellent trainers when we went live with Banner Finance. The Ellucian support is very comprehensive. The various modules interface with Finance which eliminates duplicate data entry. And the current Banner product can be accessed from anywhere. Cons The length of the fields in Banner 9 data entry pages do not correspond to the data being entered. I shouldn't have to scroll to see what I have typed into a single field. There are often huge spaces but only a limited number of characters are accepted and the rest are truncated. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Director of Enterprise Integrations Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Candid Review from a Prior Fan" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 2/10 July 26, 2023 Pros Ellucian Banner was a single solution for all our primary university functions. At the pricing secured in 2005, it remains an incredibly high value product in the growing list of software tools used by Utah State University. Cons Ellucian's technology maturity has been an incredibly bumpy road. There have been incredible wins like the Banner 9 Student Registration system. There has also been some major let downs such as the Higher Education Data Model and nearly incomprehensible Ethos API offering. The loss of Ellucian Customer Service Managers who were assigned to look out for and advocate on behalf of customers has perhaps been the biggest loss experienced by any software by any vendor. The rate at which Ellucian has changed their online community platform has been mind boggling and the loss of access to previous efforts by customers on each platform is huge. Ideas has finally been replaced, but most customers are already of the mindset that it's just another tool where great recommendations for product enhancements go to die. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. CC christian C. Talent Acquisition Specialist Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "The best platform to manage employees data." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 February 20, 2024 Pros This program provides a centralized database for storing all employee-related information, including personal details, employment history, benefits, payroll information, and performance evaluations. This centralized approach streamlines HR processes and ensures data consistency across the institution. Cons The initial investment and ongoing costs associated with Ellucian Banner, including licensing fees, implementation services, maintenance, and support, can be significant. The fact that they don't provide a free trial can play against the small businesses. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. VR Verified Reviewer Assistant Project Manager Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Banner Finance Review" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 5, 2019 Pros Amazing application with many features and modules. Banner Finance in particular is the industry leading software. Great community with exceptional services. Cons Can be a little cumbersome and very little to no customization. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Director, Enterprise Applications Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Legacy Software That Has Not Been Modernized" 1.0 Overall Rating 1.0 1.0 Ease of Use 1.0 1.0 Features 1.0 1.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 July 19, 2023 Pros The only positive aspect of Banner is that it has a decent Student Information System. Cons Nearly everything. To begin, the interface has not been modernized to current application standards. The term "lipstick on a pig" applies more to Banner than almost any other application I have ever come across.They do not seem to care about making the ERP side of their product function well. They have focused most on the SIS side, which is understandable, but the lack of functionality on the ERP side means it is basically useless for a modern campus. It is only working for half of the business.Their reporting functionality is poor and bordering on non-existent.For IT, this product is a nightmare. The releases are extremely difficult to install and maintain. The codebase is locked in 20 years in the past. They still use 8 character table names!!! The amount of technical debt means if you even wanted to deploy it as a SaaS product, it is nearly impossible, let alone trying to put it up in the cloud.In short, the company seems to be resting on their laurels as the market leader and they are falling far behind the competition. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Verified Reviewer Programmer analyst Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Programmer / Helpdesk POV" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 2.0 2.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 July 19, 2023 ActionLine support has great subject matter experts(SME) and support. Cloud team seems to be lacking SMEs and doesn't seem to fully understand how all the modules relate. Pros I am allowed to see all the DB, and make custom items. Shell jobs, Oracle Packages, Oracle Jobs, and they are coming out with improved interface coding by moving to GraphQL and React JS. Cons The cloud team is consistent about missing deadlines. Cloud support is very disorganized. Communication from cloud techs to customers is very poor, black box. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RE Reviewer Financial Aid Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Was a great product, not so much anymore." 2.0 Overall Rating 2.0 2.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 July 20, 2023 Banner used to be great. Good support and a quality product but now there seem to be defects with every release and the move to the cloud has been a disaster. Things that used to take a few days now take weeks and we are constantly having to align with Ellucians timetables instead of them adapting to ours, the customer. Pros It does most of the financial aid processes we need it to do. Cons The customer service/support is awful. Maybe it's our cloud team but there are constant mistakes and delays to the point we are considering another SIS. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JK Joseph K. Instructional Designer Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Tries to do more than it can" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 June 7, 2024 The people at Ellucian are professional and direct. Their systems are . . . neither. Their Course Catalog system lacks keyword searching - a problem they acknowledge but cannot solve. Their SIS will not provide real-time updates to our LMS - a problem they acknowledge but cannot solve, despite the existence of 3rd party solutions that do the job. Pros It brought together many disparate systems, saving a tremendous amount of time. Cons The company promises more than it can deliver, and attempts to integrate into multiple systems it should not. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Amanda W. Controller Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Robust ERP system" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 3.0 3.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 30, 2019 Pros Banner Finance is a very robust ERP system that allows you to track your accounting entries. Cons There is a large learning curve with any software that is this robust. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/171158/Banner-Finance/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.