# Ellucian Student Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about Ellucian Student Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Financial Management products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/171158/Banner-Finance --- # Ellucian Student Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. Independent research methodology Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider’s website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/) [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[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/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 39 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 59% Neutral 33% Negative 8% Contact vendor for pricing 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://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=https://www.ellucian.com&name=Ellucian Student) ## 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. [4.3 (638)](https://www.capterra.com/p/76/Intacct/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price Contact vendor Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 3.1 (39) Ease Of Use 4.2 (564) Value For Money 3.1 (22) Value For Money 4.0 (473) Customer Service 3.2 (25) Customer Service 4.0 (504) ## Ellucian Student alternatives [4.2 (2,007)](https://www.capterra.com/p/135757/NetSuite/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 85% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars Highest Rated [4.6 (200)](https://www.capterra.com/p/173831/Tuio/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 96% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.4 (243)](https://www.capterra.com/p/96371/Acumatica-Cloud-ERP/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 92% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [4.4 (3,284)](https://www.capterra.com/p/120109/Xero/reviews/) Starting price $25.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 88% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/171158/Banner-Finance/alternatives/) ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. Bank Reconciliation 3.3 (4) 100.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Compare and match accounting/financial records with corresponding bank statements Billing & Invoicing 3.0 (4) 100.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Create, manage, and send invoices or bills to customers Financial Analysis 3.3 (4) 100.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Evaluate units, projects, budgets, and other finance-related data to gauge their performance and potential risk Fund Accounting 3.3 (4) 100.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Manage revenue acquired through grants, donations, and other sources (accountability vs. profitability) General Ledger 3.0 (4) 125.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Centralized accounting record which tracks all financial transactions Accounting 3.3 (3) 166.67% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Built-in accounting to manage ledger, accounts payable/receivable, financial reports, etc. Ellucian Student 22 features Built-in accounting to manage ledger, accounts payable/receivable, financial reports, etc. Track money owed to a company's creditors/suppliers Track outstanding invoices and the money owed from clients Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases Compare and match accounting/financial records with corresponding bank statements Create, manage, and send invoices or bills to customers Create budgets based on historical data and future projections Combining loans, assets, liabilities, and other financial data from multiple subsidiary companies into one entity for reporting Creation and customization of dashboards Import and export data to and from software applications Manage information and/or provide updates regarding student financial aid Evaluate units, projects, budgets, and other finance-related data to gauge their performance and potential risk Plan, manage, and track the financial activities of an individual or organization Generate reports to assess the financial performance of an organization Centralized database to track details of fixed assets such as depreciation and maintenance scheduling/history Software designed for higher education organizations Manage revenue acquired through grants, donations, and other sources (accountability vs. profitability) Centralized accounting record which tracks all financial transactions Monitor application statuses, proposals and award funds Create, send, and track purchase orders and their statuses Workflows that help acquire inventory, issue purchase orders and receive and store items in required quantity Receive data and information in real time 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 Contact vendor for pricing 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 5(9) 4(14) 3(13) 2(1) 1(2) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent JK Joseph K. Instructional Designer Education Management ### "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 6, 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. CC Christian C. Talent Acquisition Specialist Outsourcing/Offshoring ### "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 19, 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. Switched from [Asset Panda](https://www.capterra.com/p/142562/Asset-Panda/) 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. TM Tasneem M. Associate professor Higher Education ### "Best administrative software application to store data and manage users." 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 November 14, 2023 Pros 1\. User friendly. 2. Easy to execute and navigate the dashboard. 3. Excellent student database management system. 4. Grade entry made easy and customized as per the specifications. 5. Ellucian Banner faculty has features like students attendance tracking, class list approval, academic profile and detailed schedule making it easy to follow-up under one roof. 6. All data is secure. Cons 1\. Report customization is difficult. 2. Restricted capabilities. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. NC Nicole C. Degree Analyst Education Management ### "Degree evaluation" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 August 3, 2023 Pros Students degree evaluation - really my comment is to short. lol... I like pretty much everything with Ellucian Cons Our help guide isn't up to date with the new verse so sometimes going to the guide to figure out what you did wrong and why something will not save/update is a pain. But, I can usually figure out what I did. Reasons for choosing Ellucian Student I don't know 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. DK Demetris K. Senior Accountant Higher Education ### "Banner Review" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 2.0 2.0 Features 2.0 2.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 5/10 July 26, 2023 Pros I was not involved in that process or I guess I'm not sure what I like best. Well, the S.O.S. page is nice and it's easier to perform journal vouchers usinig S.O.S. Cons The fixed asset module is difficult to navigate and impute assets especially the accessories or parts that are less than $5K. There are too many steps involved to get these items capitalized and attached to the main asset. 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. CE Carl E. Director of Enterprise Integrations Education Management ### "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 21, 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. Alternatives considered [Salesforce Sales Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/61368/Salesforce/) [ServiceNow](https://www.capterra.com/p/254088/ServiceNow/) [Workday HCM](https://www.capterra.com/p/66908/Workday-HCM/) Reasons for choosing Ellucian Student Ellucian (then SunGard HE) was first to address the needs specific needs of higher education at the time. It is no longer the only player and incessant pushes by Ellucian to adopt their SaaS offering is the greatest motivator to seriously consider other players in the space with significantly better Cloud offerings at similar if not cheaper rates. 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. AB April B. Purchasing Clerk Education Management ### "My Review" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 5/10 July 20, 2023 Pros Ease of use once learning Shortcuts and ability to quickly obtain information. Cons Having to log in multiple times on a daily basis. 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. AM Andrew M. Financial Aid Education Management ### "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 19, 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. JN Jonathan N. Administrative Systems Support Technician Education Management ### "IBM for Higher Education" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 3.0 3.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 3/10 July 18, 2023 It is our system of record, the main database tied to everything on campus. Pros ERP software is never quick or easy to implement but most people in higher education use this package so it is very well known in the industry. Cons It is old and has the baggage of any old system and lots of training is needed for employees new to it. Reasons for choosing Ellucian Student Better features, better support, and better accepted by all decision-makers at the time (late 90s). Like IBM or HP, nobody gets fired for choosing the big, old standard. 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. NN Nick N. Director, Enterprise Applications Higher Education ### "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 18, 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. [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. Independent research methodology Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)