The Next Generation of SIS: Learner-Centered & AI-Powered
Extend the power of Salesforce Education Cloud with SIS capabilities on a deeply unified platform.
Salesforce is embarking on a transformative journey to build a next-generation student information system (SIS) on Education Cloud. By building modular, learner-centric SIS capabilities and releasing them over time, Salesforce offers institutions a more flexible path to embracing a modern system. This initiative represents an important step forward in our commitment to empowering institutions to better activate data with AI, drive unprecedented efficiencies, and cultivate enhanced constituent experiences for years to come.
Reimagining the Traditional Student Information System
We consistently hear from the education institutions we serve that today’s SIS, with roots in academic record-keeping and HR, is slow to innovate, expensive to maintain, and very difficult to replace. These systems create disjointed student experiences and can't keep pace with the evolving expectations of learners and staff.
Legacy technology creates disconnected experiences.
70
%
of staff need to find new operational efficiencies.
82
%
of students need more personalized and proactive support.
59
%
of institutions plan to upgrade their SIS over the next 3-5 years.
Source: Salesforce Connected Education Report
We see a pivotal opportunity to reimagine this legacy space and provide a truly learner-centered experience by bringing together the #1 AI CRM and next-gen SIS capabilities on a deeply unified platform. The result is:
- Holistic views of every learner
- More personalized and connected education experiences
- Real-time insights for data-driven decision making
- Improved communication and collaboration
- Increased productivity and efficiencies
Modernizing the Student and Staff Experience
What if an SIS could extend beyond transactional to a transformational system? What if it could incorporate each student’s life and career goals, while simultaneously streamlining critical processes for staff?
Our initial release of modular SIS capabilities marked a significant milestone to help institutions modernize academic operations. Education Cloud empowers institutions to create and manage various types of learning programs that better connect the key skills and competencies students will gain upon completion. With a seamless registration experience, students can easily find classes, check availability, confirm eligibility, and enroll. Once enrolled, they are proactively supported every step of the way, from holistic advising to intelligent degree planning. A key development of our next-gen SIS capabilities is an extensible rules engine, enabling staff to design and implement auditable academic policies at scale without needing to write code.
New capabilities help students instantly estimate transferability of prior learning and guide them through official transfer credit requests. And with the initial release of the student financials module, institutions will now be able to create student accounts and manage fees effectively. Students also have access to an AI agent that provides real-time transparency into balances and fees, empowering learners to plan their academic futures with confidence. Soon, institutions will be able to manage all aspects of tuition, billing, payments and refunds for students in a central hub. These capabilities will improve clarity for students and efficiency for staff.
Unifying Data, Interoperability, and Extensibility
Modernized user experiences start with unified data. Disconnected and trapped data creates several downstream challenges for education institutions. Findings from the Salesforce Connected Education Report show that 53% of staff still struggle to find the data they need to do their job effectively. With an incomplete view of each learner and their unique journey, it’s difficult to improve outcomes across enrollment, student retention and satisfaction, fundraising, and engagement.
Our approach to building a next-gen SIS is centered on utilizing all of the capabilities of our deeply unified platform. At the heart of it is Education Cloud, which provides a flexible data foundation for lifelong learning, helping staff scale impact institution-wide. Education Cloud includes purpose-built modules for Recruitment and Admissions, Academic Operations, Student Success, and Advancement and Alumni Relations that help institutions consolidate disparate point solutions and connect every touchpoint across the learner journey.
The power of Salesforce for Education extends beyond Education Cloud. Salesforce Data 360 plus MuleSoft help institutions seamlessly integrate, unify, and harmonize existing structured and unstructured data–LMS engagement, HR, finance, and more. Because Data 360 empowers institutions to activate all of that data in Education Cloud, institutions can maintain and reinforce their current data strategy while enabling staff to predict needs, securely take action with AI-powered insights, and deliver truly personalized engagement. This is at the core of our deeply unified platform approach to a modern SIS–it’s designed for continuous improvement.
Building for the Future with AI at the Center
AI isn’t an afterthought or something to bolt on with APIs. For the last decade, Salesforce has pioneered artificial intelligence. With extensive investment in industry-specific automation, predictive intelligence and analytics, and generative and agentic AI, we continue to lead the way. In fact, Agentforce for Education is critical to transforming how data can be actioned in ways that a traditional SIS isn’t capable of.
Research shows students and staff already see the value AI agents can bring to every aspect of the education journey. Agentforce can assist students with 24/7 support, from the admissions to course registration process. And with AI agents embedded in the flow of work, staff can gain time back to focus on building stronger relationships. Taking advantage of a deeply unified platform that connects data and AI agents makes it possible to create the experiences constituents expect now and into the future.
Ensuring Security and Privacy
An institution’s data is not our product, and trust remains our #1 value. As early adopters and leaders in the space, we’ve helped shape policies around responsible AI. Education Cloud allows you to comply with global regulations and industry standards. Salesforce helps to enable compliance with the Einstein Trust Layer and built-in guardrails. And with new innovations 3x/year, the platform is constantly evolving to meet future challenges and opportunities.
Student Information Systems FAQs
Student information systems (SIS) are platforms that provide a central source of truth for all student data, from recruitment and admissions to alumni relations. These systems help institutions manage the student lifecycle and provide a 360-degree view of each student.
The benefits of a next-gen SIS include the ability to serve the entire student lifecycle with one system. These platforms can connect disparate data sources to provide a unified student view, empowering staff to make more informed decisions and better support students from recruitment to graduation and beyond.
Student information systems can help institutions manage the student lifecycle by providing a single, unified data model that can capture information from recruitment, admissions, student services, and advancement. This allows different departments to collaborate more effectively and serve students' needs holistically.
Traditional student information systems are often siloed, fragmented, and difficult to manage. They typically require multiple integrations to get a complete view of student data, which can lead to inefficiencies and a disconnected experience for students and staff.
A next-gen SIS provides a 360-degree student view by connecting data from various sources and departments. It unifies all student data onto one platform, allowing staff to see a complete picture of a student's academic and personal journey, and enabling more personalized support.
A next-gen SIS can improve collaboration across departments by providing a centralized platform for all student data. This unified system breaks down data silos and allows different departments, such as admissions and student services, to work together seamlessly to support students.
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