ABOUT FRANKLIN COLLEGE

Founded in 1834, Franklin College has nearly two centuries of history as a leader in liberal arts education. Located in Franklin, Indiana, the college made history in 1842 as the first institution in the state to admit women, a milestone that reflects the inclusive, forward-thinking values that still define the college today.

Franklin College is built on the belief that a broad liberal arts education, combined with experiential learning and a commitment to ethical leadership, prepares students for a lifetime of impact. With a remarkably flexible curriculum, approximately 20% of students graduate with two or three majors; the college empowers students to design individualized programs that blend coursework, research, and professional development into a custom educational experience.

That same flexibility and student-centered commitment extends to how Franklin College manages its administrative infrastructure. When the limitations of its legacy Student Information System began to stand in the way of that mission, the institution set out to find a modern, future-ready solution.

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THE CHALLENGE

For years, Franklin College relied on an on-premises SIS that had long outgrown its usefulness. The platform was aging and increasingly cumbersome, too rigid to accommodate changing business requirements and too clunky to navigate efficiently. When issues arose, support was inconsistent at best. Rather than enabling the institution's work, the system was actively complicating it.

The burden of on-premises infrastructure only deepened the problem. IT staff spent valuable time managing server maintenance rather than focusing on strategic initiatives. Integration with third-party tools which are critical partners in financial aid, student billing, and communication, was painful and unreliable. Every failed connection or data sync meant more manual intervention, more time lost, and more frustration for both staff and students.

The impact was felt across the institution. Teams that should have been focused on student success were instead managing workarounds. Staff morale suffered. And perhaps most importantly, the student experience fell short of the standard Franklin College aspires to deliver.

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THE SEARCH FOR A MODERN SIS

Franklin College evaluated several SIS solutions on the market. What they found was discouraging: many vendors were offering modernized interfaces layered over legacy codebases, new paint on an old foundation. The promise of "modern" technology too often masked the same underlying limitations Franklin was trying to escape.

Student First stood apart. Rather than retrofitting an aging architecture, Student First is built from the ground up as a cloud-native, AI-powered platform designed exclusively for higher education. There were no legacy constraints to inherit, no patchwork integrations to worry about. The platform is built to evolve; continuously updated with new capabilities through frequent releases, with zero downtime.

But what truly differentiated Student First wasn't just what the platform could do today; it was the vision of a constantly improving solution. For Franklin College, that distinction was decisive. Too many vendors had optimized for the past; Student First was clearly building for the future.

For Franklin College, the vision mattered as much as the features. They weren't just buying software, they were investing in a partner committed to continuous innovation, so they'd never find themselves at this crossroads again.

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WHY STUDENT FIRST

When evaluating final candidates, several Student First capabilities rose to the top as essential for Franklin College's goals.

Enrollment workflows and student billing were identified as the highest-priority areas, two functions that directly touch the student experience and operational efficiency at every institution. Student First's unified platform means enrollment and billing data live in a single system of record, eliminating the data silos that had plagued the previous environment. Staff gain real-time visibility, streamlined workflows, and confidence that the information they're working with is accurate.

Beyond specific features, Franklin College was drawn to Student First's architecture. As a true cloud-native solution, Student First eliminates the overhead of on-premises server management entirely. Integrations with third-party platforms are built to work, not stitched together as an afterthought. And the platform's AI-powered capabilities mean that staff are supported by intelligent, data-driven tools at every decision point.

The combination of modern technology, a clear product roadmap, and a genuine partnership approach made the choice clear.

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"An SIS implementation is one of the most complex undertakings an institution can face. Having a structured process and a partner you can rely on isn't just helpful, it's essential. Student First delivered on both, guiding us through every phase with the kind of expertise and commitment that makes a project of this scale feel manageable. It's a partnership we expect to build on for years to come.” — Scott Moore / Director of Information Technology, Franklin College

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LOOKING AHEAD

The expectations at Franklin College are clear. As efficiencies take hold across every department, staff will gain streamlined workflows, cleaner data, and more time to focus on what they do best, supporting students. The administrative burden that once defined the day-to-day will give way to tools that work the way people actually work.

Most importantly, the impact on students is expected to be significant. With smoother processes and better access to services, overall student satisfaction is poised to improve in ways that reflect Franklin College's long-standing commitment to its students.

The shift to Student First also delivers a compelling financial case. For Franklin College, the costs of maintaining on-premises infrastructure and managing unreliable third-party integrations were more than an IT burden; they represented real, ongoing operational expense. Moving to a cloud-native platform eliminates server overhead entirely, and seamless integrations mean the manual intervention that once consumed staff hours becomes a thing of the past. Less time spent on workarounds means more resources directed where they matter most, toward students and the institution's mission.

For Franklin College, Student First isn't just a new SIS. It's the foundation for the next chapter of institutional excellence.

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"Institutions like Franklin College are exactly who Student First is built for — teams that are serious about modernizing, serious about their students, and ready to move. We're proud to be their partner in this transition, and we look forward to supporting their team and their students for years to come." — Bryan Carmichael / Vice President of Sales, Student First

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About Student First

Student First is a cloud-native, AI-powered Student Information System built exclusively for higher education. Designed with a zero-legacy architecture, the platform delivers a unified system of record for enrollment, student billing, financial aid, advising, and more — eliminating the fragmentation and inefficiencies that hold institutions back. With frequent releases and zero-downtime updates, Student First continuously evolves to meet the needs of modern campuses. 

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