ABOUT AMRIDGE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1967, Amridge University is an independent institution with a distinctive identity: a faith-based mission, a pioneering history in online education, and an unwavering commitment to preparing students for a lifetime of learning, leadership, and service.

That pioneering spirit has defined the institution since its earliest days. Amridge was among the first 15 institutions in the nation selected by the U.S. Department of Education to pilot distance education, a participation that helped shape federal law and expand access to higher education for students everywhere. Today, Amridge offers 40 accredited online degree programs and has been educating students in the online arena since 1993 — making it one of the most experienced online universities in the country.

With over 90% of students qualifying for Federal Financial Aid and a steadfast commitment to affordability, Amridge's mission is as practical as it is principled. Serving students well from first point of inquiry through degree completion is not just a goal, it is the institution's defining purpose. When the technology supporting that mission began to fall short, Amridge set out to find a solution worthy of what it stands for.

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THE CHALLENGE

For Amridge University, the decision to seek a new Student Information System was set in motion when Ellucian announced end-of-life for PowerCampus, the platform the institution had long depended on. But the EOL announcement only accelerated an evaluation that was already overdue. PowerCampus had been showing its limitations for some time: inconsistent functionality, an unresponsive user interface, and a system that demanded more from staff than it gave back in return.

The operational toll was significant. Financial aid was managed through a separate external platform, PowerFAIDS, adding cost and complexity to a function that touches nearly every student at Amridge. Integrations with key partners like Parchment for credentials, the National Student Clearinghouse for enrollment reporting, PayPal for payments, and RingCentral for telephony, all required manual steps to move information in and out of the SIS. Every manual handoff was an opportunity for error, a drain on staff time, and a barrier to the kind of efficiency Amridge needed to serve students well.

Student communication was suffering too. With no unified view of the student and disconnected systems that couldn't easily share data, reaching the right student with the right message at the right time was harder than it should have been — a meaningful concern for an institution navigating enrollment pressures and committed to strong student retention. And for a university with strict Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements for financial aid, the inability to manage and monitor compliance efficiently added regulatory risk to an already strained operation.

The cumulative effect was wasted time, wasted energy, and frustration for staff and students alike. Amridge needed more than a replacement for an end-of-life system. It needed a complete reimagining of how its technology could serve its mission.

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THE SEARCH FOR A MODERN SIS

Amridge University evaluated other SIS options on the market, approaching the process with a clear filter: the institution had no interest in being forced into a one-size-fits-all template. With unique processes, deeply held values, and a student population that depends on responsive, personalized support, Amridge needed a partner willing to work around its needs — not the other way around.

What set Student First apart wasn't just the platform. It was the attitude and character of the Student First team. From the earliest conversations with CEO David Meek and Vice President of Sales Bryan Carmichael, Amridge found something it hadn't expected to find so clearly in an SIS evaluation: an organization whose values aligned with its own. The willingness to gain a deep understanding of Amridge's departmental processes, accommodate integrations on Amridge's terms, and treat the institution as a partner rather than a prospect made the decision clear.

For an institution frustrated by years of inconsistent functionality and disconnected systems, the promise of a single, unified platform — purpose-built for higher education and committed to continuous improvement — was exactly the vision Amridge had been looking for.

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WHY STUDENT FIRST

The answer Jack Temple and his team kept coming back to was integration, rolling the separate systems that had complicated daily operations into one unified pane of glass. Moving away from PowerCampus and its inconsistent functionality meant more than replacing a platform. It meant rebuilding the entire technology experience around clarity, efficiency, and accuracy.

Student First delivers that unified view. Financial aid had long been managed through a separate external platform, PowerFAIDS, at increasing cost. With Student First, it moves natively into a single system alongside enrollment and student billing, consolidating a function that touches nearly every Amridge student. For a university where SAP compliance is non-negotiable, having that monitoring native to the same system managing enrollment and student billing eliminates a critical gap in oversight.

The integrations that once demanded manual steps will now work seamlessly within Student First. Payment processing, telephony, credentialing, and enrollment reporting all connect directly, eliminating the data handoffs that drained staff time and introduced error. The result is exactly what Amridge set out to find: one system, one source of truth, and the data accuracy and efficiency that free staff to focus on what comes next.

For students, the impact is equally direct. Rather than navigating disconnected tools and processes, they will have a single destination for everything they need — one stop for financial aid, enrollment, communication, and support, from their first point of inquiry through graduation.

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"Student First has proven to be an invaluable partner. They began by gaining a deep understanding of Amridge's departmental processes, then paired that insight with a compassionate approach that enhances the experience for our entire university community. Their specialized expertise in higher education is instrumental as we transform into a future-ready institution." Jack Temple — Vice President of Institutional Technology, Amridge University

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LOOKING AHEAD

Amridge University is stepping into a fundamentally different way of working. Staff will gain the efficiency, data accuracy, and operational clarity that have been out of reach for too long. Time once consumed by manual processes will now be redirected toward the future: planning, improving, and serving students better.

For students, it means something equally powerful: one stop for everything they need, from financial aid to enrollment to academic support. One place. One experience. No friction.

The shift to Student First also delivers a compelling financial case. The costs were tangible… separate licensing for PowerFAIDS, staff hours consumed by manual data handoffs across multiple platforms, and the growing expense of maintaining external integrations that should have been seamless. Consolidating those functions into a single platform doesn't just simplify operations, it removes layers of cost that were never necessary to begin with.

Amridge University has spent more than five decades proving that an institution can be principled, innovative, and student-centered all at once. With Student First, the technology is finally ready to keep up.

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"Amridge University exemplifies what it means to put students and mission first in everything, including the technology choices they make. When we met their team, we understood immediately that a cookie-cutter approach would never be the right fit. Student First is built to adapt to the institutions we serve, not the other way around. We are honored to partner with Amridge and proud to support the work they do every day."  David Meek — Chief Executive Officer, 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.