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Student First, the most advanced student information system (SIS) in higher education, today announced a strategic partnership with Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world’s leading provider of AI-powered solutions for social impact. As part of this partnership, Blackbaud is making a strategic investment in Student First. This will enable the connection of Student First’s Future-Ready SIS with Blackbaud’s trusted solutions for financial management, fundraising, award management, and payments, delivering the Connected Campus experience that higher education institutions have needed.
Together, Student First and Blackbaud will enable institutions to unify enrollment, financial aid, scholarships, advancement, and finance into one connected experience. Student First’s single data model spans recruiting and admissions, advising, academic operations, financial aid, and student billing, giving Blackbaud’s financial and advancement data a true system of record to connect to, rather than relying on fragmented integrations. The result is a real-time view of the full student lifecycle and the resources that sustain it, across every department and every campus.
"Student First was natively built as a unified, cloud-native SIS for higher education, and this partnership with Blackbaud is a natural extension of that platform strength," said David Meek, CEO, Student First. "Together, we help institutions operate smarter in a challenging financial environment by strengthening stewardship, compliance, and long-term sustainability. Joint customers get a comprehensive technology suite built on industry-leading systems, and students get a single, seamless experience."
“By joining forces with Student First, we’re enabling college and university teams to connect the financial side of their operations to the student information side,” said Mark Davis, Vice President, Education Products, Blackbaud. “This kind of data flow creates a connected campus experience that ties student lifecycle activity to the dollars that fund it, linking student and donor activity through advancement, awards, and the general ledger, so institutions can operate smarter, strengthen stewardship, and align resources to fuel student success.”
• A unified platform. Built on a single data model with no legacy architecture, Student First spans recruiting and admissions, advising, academic operations, financial aid, and student billing. Combined with Blackbaud’s specialized solutions for fund accounting, fundraising, award management, and payments, institutions gain a single, integrated operating model for higher education that seamlessly operates as one.
• Connected financial visibility. The integration links student enrollment, tuition, and donor activity directly to the general ledger, giving institutions a single view that delivers greater accountability and confidence in financial decision-making.
• AI across the full campus. Student First’s FirstSight AI operates on an AI-First, Human-Verified model, ensuring intelligent action across the student lifecycle with human accountability at every decision point. Paired with Blackbaud’s Intelligence for Good® AI capabilities, institutions gain end-to-end intelligence from student success through advancement and financial operations.
• Choice without compromise. Institutions gain choice without compromise— modernizing their SIS and leveraging Blackbaud’s trusted financial and advancement ecosystem.
• A connected experience for every student. Students gain a single, seamless experience from enrollment through financial aid, advising, and beyond. Institutions gain real-time visibility to support them at every stage, with data flowing across systems rather than remaining in silos.
Student First and Blackbaud will collaborate on joint product direction and go-to-market strategy to expand how they serve higher education institutions. Student First brings a modern, zero-legacy platform with frequent releases, zero downtime, and native capabilities across every core function of the student lifecycle. Blackbaud brings decades of institutional trust and the sector’s leading financial and advancement ecosystem. Together, the two companies deliver what institutions have long sought: a connected technology foundation that supports students from inquiry through alumni engagement, without compromise. Blackbaud's investment in Student First is a signal of long-term commitment to providing best-in-class solutions to higher education institutions.
Additional details about the integrated solution and availability will be announced later this year.
Student First is the most advanced student information system in higher education. Cloud-native, AI-powered, and built from the ground up for higher education, Student First delivers a truly unified platform spanning recruiting and admissions, advising, academic operations, financial aid, student billing, and more. Architected on a single data model, Student First enables institutions to eliminate legacy complexity, surface actionable insight across every function, and deliver a seamless experience for students at every stage of their journey. Learn more at www.studentfirst.com
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world’s leading provider of AI-powered solutions for social impact. Serving nonprofits, educational institutions, companies committed to corporate social responsibility, and individual change makers, Blackbaud propels impact at scale with the sector’s most intelligent solutions for fundraising and engagement, education solutions, financial management, and CSR and grantmaking. Learn more at www.blackbaud.com.
Erin Grant, Vice President of Marketing
