WordPress Development for Higher Education

Universities, colleges, and higher education institutions need websites that serve diverse audiences while meeting accessibility standards, security requirements, and integration demands.

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WCAG 2.1 AA compliance expertise
Complex integrations (SIS, LMS, faculty systems)
Multi-department site management
200+ higher ed sites since 2011

Why Choose WhatArmy

Accessibility Built In

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance isn't optional. It's legally required. We build every component to accessibility standards from day one, not bolted on afterwards. You pass audits because the site was built right.

Complex System Integrations

We connect WordPress to Banner, PeopleSoft, Canvas, Blackboard, LDAP, and dozens of other higher education systems. Integrations that don't break when systems update.

Multi-Department Management

WordPress multisite or single-site with proper user roles. Each department gets autonomy without breaking things for others. Built for scale and long-term maintenance.

Why Higher Education Websites Are Different

Your website serves everyone: prospective students researching programs, current students accessing resources, faculty managing course content, alumni staying connected, researchers publishing findings, administrators updating information, and the public seeking your institution's expertise.

You need more than a marketing website. You need a complex digital ecosystem that handles diverse content types, meets accessibility requirements, integrates with existing systems, supports multiple departments, works for technical and non-technical users, and performs under traffic spikes.

Most WordPress agencies don't understand these requirements. They build you a marketing site and call it done. Then you discover it can't integrate with Banner, doesn't meet accessibility standards, and breaks when 20 different departments start editing it.

**We understand higher education because we've built these systems before.**

What We Build for Higher Education

Academic Department Websites

Custom department sites with faculty directories, course listings, research showcases, and student resources. Each department gets the flexibility they need while maintaining your institution's brand and accessibility standards. We've built automated faculty directories synced with HR systems, course catalogs with real-time enrollment data, research publication databases, student advising schedulers, and graduate program showcases.

Faculty & Research Portals

Give faculty the tools they need to showcase their work, manage their profiles, and communicate with students without requiring IT support for every update. Features include self-service faculty profile management, publication databases with auto-import from ORCID and Google Scholar, research project showcases, course management, and student communication tools.

Student-Facing Resources

Build portals that students actually use. Course information, advising resources, department contacts, event calendars, and more, all accessible, mobile-friendly, and integrated with your existing systems. Students get access to course schedules, faculty office hours, department events, program requirements, advising appointment booking, and forms.

Administrative Systems

Behind-the-scenes systems that make your staff more efficient. Form processing, data collection, workflow automation, and reporting tools that integrate with your existing infrastructure. We automate student inquiry forms with CRM integration, faculty recruitment workflows, event registration, document collection, and report generation.

The Integrations Higher Education Requires

We connect your WordPress site to the systems you already use

Student Information Systems (SIS)

Banner (Ellucian)
PeopleSoft Campus Solutions (Oracle)
Colleague (Ellucian)
Jenzabar
Workday Student

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Canvas
Blackboard
Moodle
D2L Brightspace

Directory & Authentication

LDAP/Active Directory
Shibboleth
CAS (Central Authentication Service)
SAML single sign-on

Other Systems

Salesforce (admissions CRM)
Slate (enrollment management)
Google Workspace
Microsoft 365
Events calendars (Localist, EMS)

We handle OAuth authentication, API rate limiting, data synchronization, error handling, and security at every integration point.

Real Higher Education Projects

University Department Website Rebuild

Research-focused university department with 40+ faculty, 300+ students

Problem

Their old site was built in 2012 on a custom CMS nobody knew how to maintain. Faculty profiles were outdated. Course information was manual. Research publications weren't showcased. The site failed WCAG accessibility audits.

What We Built

Custom faculty directory with self-service profile management, automated course catalog synced with their SIS (Banner), research publication database with ORCID integration, student advising scheduler with calendar integration, custom post types for research projects, labs, and seminars, full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Result

Faculty update their own profiles (saving staff 10+ hours/week), course information is always current (auto-synced nightly), research visibility increased, passed accessibility audit on first try, 60% improvement in student-faculty communication.

Timeline 12 weeks
Investment $58,000

Multi-Department Website System

Liberal arts college with 12 academic departments

Problem

Each department had a different website (some WordPress, some Drupal, some static HTML from 2008). No consistent branding. No accessibility compliance. IT was spending 20+ hours/week maintaining them.

What We Built

WordPress multisite network with centralized management, custom department theme with brand flexibility, shared faculty directory across all departments, centralized event calendar with department filtering, automated content migration, training program for department content editors, accessibility built in from day one.

Result

12 inconsistent sites became one manageable system, IT maintenance time reduced from 20 hours/week to 2 hours/week, all sites WCAG 2.1 AA compliant, department editors can update their own content, consistent branding across all academic departments, mobile traffic increased 180%.

Timeline 16 weeks
Investment $84,000

Student Portal with SIS Integration

Graduate program within a large university

Problem

Graduate students needed access to program requirements, thesis guidelines, advisor information, and graduation checklists. Information was scattered across PDFs, emails, and a legacy system.

What We Built

Custom student portal with authentication via university SSO, integration with university SIS for degree progress tracking, personalized checklists based on program and year, thesis submission and review workflow, faculty advisor directory with appointment booking, resource library with document management, automated email notifications for milestones.

Result

Student inquiries to staff reduced by 65%, thesis submission process streamlined (from 3 weeks to 3 days), students can track their own degree progress, faculty can manage advising schedules without staff involvement, 95% student satisfaction (up from 67%).

Timeline 10 weeks
Investment $42,000

Why Higher Education Websites Fail

They're Not Actually Accessible

Someone installed an "accessibility plugin" and called it done. But WCAG compliance isn't a plugin. It's how you build the entire site. You can't bolt it on afterwards. The result: You fail an accessibility audit and face OCR complaints or lawsuits.

Integrations Break Constantly

Someone built a "custom integration" that breaks every time the SIS updates. Or it works fine until you hit 1,000 records, then times out. Or it's hardcoded with credentials that expire. The result: Faculty directory shows people who left 2 years ago. Course catalog is wrong. Students see outdated information.

Too Many People Can Break It

You gave all 47 department editors admin access because that was easier than setting up proper user roles. Now someone installed a sketchy plugin that broke the entire site. The result: Sites break regularly. Changes go live before review. Security vulnerabilities get introduced.

It Doesn't Scale

The site works fine with 3 departments and 50 pages. But now you have 12 departments, 500 pages, and it takes 8 seconds to load. The admin panel times out when you try to edit pages. The result: Slow site, frustrated users, poor search rankings, staff can't do their jobs.

How We Build Higher Education Sites Differently

Accessibility Is Built In, Not Bolted On

We don't install an accessibility plugin and call it done. We build every component to WCAG 2.1 AA standards from day one: semantic HTML structure, proper ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, color contrast verification, screen reader testing, form accessibility, dynamic content that works with assistive technology, PDF remediation. We test with actual screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) during development, not after.

Integrations Are Built to Last

We build integrations that don't break when systems update: OAuth authentication (credentials aren't hardcoded), comprehensive error handling and logging, rate limiting and queue management, incremental synchronization, monitoring and alerting, documentation for your IT team, testing against actual data volumes. We've integrated with every major SIS, LMS, and authentication system.

Multi-Department Management That Works

We set up WordPress multisite when appropriate, or build single-site solutions with proper user role management: custom user roles for different departments, content workflow and approval process, staging environment for testing changes, content templates for consistency, brand guidelines enforcement, training for non-technical editors, documentation and video tutorials.

Built for Scale and Performance

We optimize for sites that will grow: efficient database queries, proper caching (page, object, browser), CDN integration, image optimization and lazy loading, asynchronous processing for heavy tasks, server configuration recommendations, monitoring and maintenance plans. Your site performs well on day one and still performs well five years later with 10x the content.

Common Higher Education WordPress Needs

Course Catalog Management

Display courses with filtering by department, level, semester, and program. Auto-sync with your SIS so information is always current.

Faculty Directory

Searchable, filterable directory with faculty profiles, research areas, publications, office hours, and contact information. Faculty can update their own profiles.

Research Project Showcases

Highlight faculty research with project pages, team information, publications, and funding sources. Connect to ORCID, Google Scholar, and grant databases.

Event Management

Campus-wide event calendar with department filtering, registration, and integration with your existing calendar systems.

Forms & Data Collection

Custom forms for everything from student inquiries to faculty recruitment. Route submissions to the right people, integrate with your CRM, handle file uploads securely.

Student Resources

Program handbooks, degree requirements, policies, advising information, and FAQs, organized by program and easy to maintain.

Investment & Timeline

Higher education WordPress projects vary widely based on complexity and integration requirements.

### Small Department Website
**Investment:** $25,000 - $45,000 | **Timeline:** 8-10 weeks

Includes: Custom WordPress theme, faculty directory with profiles, course listing (manual or basic integration), news and events, student resources section, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, mobile responsive design, 30-day post-launch support.

**Good for:** Single departments or programs with straightforward needs

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### Medium Complexity Site
**Investment:** $45,000 - $75,000 | **Timeline:** 10-14 weeks

Includes: Custom WordPress theme, automated faculty directory (SIS integration), course catalog (SIS integration), research showcase with publication import, event management system, custom forms with workflow, advanced user role management, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, training for content editors, 60-day post-launch support.

**Good for:** Departments with integration needs and multiple content types

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### Large/Complex Implementation
**Investment:** $75,000 - $150,000+ | **Timeline:** 14-20 weeks

Includes: WordPress multisite or complex single-site, multiple system integrations (SIS, LMS, LDAP, SSO), custom student portal functionality, advanced workflow and approval systems, custom reporting and analytics, faculty self-service tools, automated data synchronization, comprehensive training program, full accessibility audit and remediation, 90-day post-launch support.

**Good for:** Multi-department implementations, student portals, complex ecosystems

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### Ongoing Maintenance & Support
**Starting at $500/month**

Includes: WordPress core and plugin updates, security monitoring and patching, uptime monitoring, backup management, integration monitoring, content editor support, performance optimization, monthly reporting.

Most higher education clients opt for ongoing maintenance because internal IT teams don't have WordPress expertise and departments need reliable support.

Why Higher Education Institutions Choose WhatArmy

We Speak Your Language

We understand the difference between undergraduate programs and graduate programs. We know what a faculty senate is. We understand academic calendars, registration periods, and why accessibility compliance isn't optional. We've worked with universities long enough to know that "it needs to be live before fall semester" means August 15, not August 31.

We Know Your Systems

We've integrated with Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft, Canvas, Blackboard, and dozens of other higher education systems. We understand LDAP authentication, Shibboleth SSO, and why your IT security office requires VPN access.

We Build for Long-Term Maintenance

Universities don't rebuild websites every year. We build sites that your staff can maintain without calling us constantly, scale as your content grows, work with future WordPress versions, include documentation for your team, and have clear upgrade paths. Our average higher education client works with us for 5+ years because we build things that last.

We Handle Complex Stakeholder Management

We know university projects involve faculty who want creative freedom, IT who want security and control, marketing who want brand consistency, accessibility office who want compliance, department chairs who want autonomy, and administrators who want efficiency. We facilitate these conversations and build solutions that satisfy everyone.

Higher Education WordPress: WhatArmy vs. Other Agencies

See how our higher education expertise compares to agencies that build marketing sites and call them done.

Feature WhatArmy Other WordPress Agencies In-House IT Team
WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance ✓ Built in from day one × Plugin added later ? Varies, often incomplete
SIS/LMS Integration ✓ Proven integrations with all major systems × Basic or no integration ? Depends on expertise
Multi-Department Management ✓ WordPress multisite or proper user roles × Single site, breaks with multiple editors ? Often struggles with scale
Higher Education Experience ✓ 200+ higher ed sites since 2011 × Marketing site experience only ? Limited WordPress expertise
Long-Term Maintenance ✓ Built to last 5+ years × Breaks with updates ? Ongoing maintenance burden
Training & Documentation ✓ Comprehensive training and docs × Minimal or no training ? Knowledge silos

What Higher Education Institutions Say

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
WhatArmy didn't just build us a website. They built us a system that our faculty can actually use. The self-service profile management alone saves our staff 10+ hours per week. The SIS integration means course information is always current. And we passed our accessibility audit on the first try.
IT Director
Research University
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We had 12 different department websites on different platforms. WhatArmy consolidated them into one manageable WordPress multisite. IT maintenance time dropped from 20 hours per week to 2 hours. All sites are now WCAG compliant, and department editors can update their own content without breaking anything.
Web Services Manager
Liberal Arts College
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The student portal WhatArmy built transformed how our graduate program operates. Student inquiries dropped by 65%, thesis submissions went from 3 weeks to 3 days, and student satisfaction jumped from 67% to 95%. They understood our needs better than we did.
Graduate Program Director
Large University

Higher Education WordPress FAQ

Yes, we've integrated WordPress with Banner (Ellucian), Colleague (Ellucian), PeopleSoft Campus Solutions (Oracle), Jenzabar, and Workday Student. We handle OAuth authentication, API synchronization, and data transformation. Most SIS integrations take 3-4 weeks to implement depending on data complexity and access to sandbox environments.

Yes, we build every site to WCAG 2.1 AA standards from the beginning. This includes semantic HTML, proper ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, color contrast verification, screen reader compatibility, and accessible forms. We test with actual assistive technology (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) during development. We also provide documentation and training so your content editors can maintain accessibility when adding new content.

We integrate with LDAP, Active Directory, Shibboleth, CAS (Central Authentication Service), and SAML-based SSO systems. We can restrict access to specific content based on user roles from your directory services. Most authentication integrations take 1-2 weeks depending on your institution's security requirements and IT infrastructure.

Yes, we set up WordPress with custom user roles so each department can manage their own content without affecting other departments. We include content workflow if you need approval processes, staging environments for testing changes, and training for non-technical editors. Most departments are self-sufficient after 2-3 training sessions.

Small department sites take 8-10 weeks. Medium complexity sites with integrations take 10-14 weeks. Large multi-department implementations or student portals take 14-20 weeks. Timeline depends on integration complexity, stakeholder alignment, content migration needs, and your IT security review process. We provide detailed project timelines during discovery.

We build integrations with error handling, monitoring, and alerts so you know immediately if something breaks. We use API versioning and abstraction layers so system updates don't automatically break your site. Ongoing maintenance includes monitoring integrations and updating them when your systems change. Most minor system updates don't require any changes. Major version updates may require integration updates, which we handle as part of maintenance.

Yes, every project includes training for content editors, department administrators, and IT staff. We provide live training sessions (in-person or virtual), video tutorials, written documentation, and a 30-60 day support period where we answer questions as your team gets comfortable. We can also provide train-the-trainer sessions if you have a large team.

Let's Discuss Your Higher Education Website

Every university has unique needs. Let's talk about your challenges, integration requirements, accessibility compliance needs, department structure, timeline, and budget.

Schedule a Discovery Call

Ready to Build a Higher Education Website That Actually Works?

Trusted by academic departments and institutions since 2011. We focus on building sites that work long-term, not just launch successfully.

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