Higher education is undergoing rapid change. Students expect personalized, digital-first experiences from the moment they inquire to the day they graduate. Institutions face increasing competition, shifting demographics, and pressure to improve retention and alumni engagement.
The right CRM for higher education is no longer optional - it’s the backbone of enrollment management, student success, and advancement. Choosing wisely can mean the difference between siloed systems and a unified campus experience.
Choosing The Right CRM For Higher Education
Why Choosing The Right CRM Matters
Slate Starts At $30,000 Per Year
From recruiting & admissions to student engagement and advancement, Slate provides unmatched operational efficiencies and the best value in Higher Education. Slate licenses are comprehensive and predictable.
“Finding the right tool that checked all the necessary
boxes for us…that we could afford.”
- Lisa Chamberlain, Walla Walla Community College
Affordable & Predictable
What to Look For in a Higher Ed CRM
Slate is designed to grow with your business, continuously evolving with new features and real-time updates at no additional cost, ensuring you always have leading edge technology to stay ahead without worrying about additional fees.
Key Questions to Ask When Evaluating CRMs
Before committing to a CRM ask:
Does the CRM support your full student lifecycle?
How customizable are workflows and automations?
How well does it integrate with SIS/LMS systems?
What does support and onboarding look like?
CRM Comparison: Salesforce vs. Slate
Here’s how Salesforce and Slate stack up against strategic goals:
Slate provides comprehensive, native functionality that does
not require licenses to third-party tools, such as:
Centralized Data to Drive Informed Decisions
Break down silos by uniting information across admissions, student advising, and alumni with Slate. Slate provides a 360-degree view of your constituents, empowering your teams with insights to enhance decision-making, create efficiencies, and improve student outcomes.
Scalable & Highly Performant
Scale Seamlessly, Perform Effortlessly
All hosting, network, and server management is provided in secure, modern data centers. Slate provides lightening fast performance at scale, on the edge of technology.
Learn more about how Slate scales with your institution.
We’re At Your Scale, For Your Institution
Unlock Savings & Operational Efficiencies
Most campuses can save a minimum of $60,000 per year.
Slate starts at $30,000 per year.
| 3rd-Party | Slate | Savings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment Processing | $11,250 - $225,000 | $8,625 - $172,500 | $2,625 - $52,500 |
| Text Messaging | $8,500 - $30,000 (unlimited) |
$100 - $20,000 (unlimited) |
$8,400 - $10,000 |
| Event Management | $5,000 - $70,000 | INCLUDED | $5,000 - $70,000 |
| Portals & Microsites | $10,000 - $60,000 | INCLUDED | $10,000 - $60,000 |
| Surveys | $5,000 - $30,000 | INCLUDED | $5,000 - $30,000 |
| Interview & Appointment Scheduling | $15,000 - $45,000 | INCLUDED | $15,000 - $45,0000 |
| Orientation & Onboarding | $15,000 - $20,000 | INCLUDED | $15,000 - $20,0000 |
| Total | $69,750 - $480,000 | $61,025 - $287,500 |
Review our Total Cost Comparison white paper to learn more.
Secure & Compliant
Slate Keeps Your Data Safe & Secure
At Technolutions, your security isn't just a priority – it's an absolute commitment. As a cloud-based enterprise CRM, Slate ensures your data remains secure and compliant with all relevant privacy regulations, including PCI, NACHA, FERPA, GDPR, Section 508 ADA, and WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines, giving you peace of mind.
Unrivaled security: Slate has has never had a security breach or major outage, ever.
Learn how Slate keeps you secure.
All data encrypted at rest and in transit
Direct integration with institutional SSO such as SAML (e.g., Azure AD, Shibboleth, Okta) & CAS
Data hosted solely in either the United States, Canada, Europe, or Asia
Support for multi-factor authentication
Fully PCI DSS compliant*
Granular field-level and function-level permissions
Each institution housed within its own private database, data is never commingled
Your Security Is Our Commitment
Artificial Intelligence
Empower Your Users With Slate AI
Designed to enhance decision-making, automate complex tasks and
create tailored content. From workflow automation to performance optimization, Slate AI makes your processes more efficient and effective.
Visit Slate AI to learn more.
AI Reader
AI Tasks
AI Queries
AI Insights
AI Dashboards
AI Rules
AI Voice
AI Dictate
Slate AI Inspires Imagination & Drives Possibilities
Community & Partnerships
We work with amazing organizations that share our commitment to supporting transformational effects on higher education. Slate Preferred Partners are selected by a comprehensive application process for their commitment to providing Slate users with only the most exceptional service.
Learn more about the Slate Preferred Partner Program.
Experts To Guide Your Teams
Slate Preferred Partners are selected by a comprehensive application process for their commitment to providing Slate users with only the most exceptional service. Institutions looking for supplemental Slate support and integration services can take confidence in knowing that each Preferred Partner has been vetted by Technolutions and approved for participation.
"We're utilizing Slate well beyond like what we were thinking of when we first got it like in terms of like our operations within the different departments." - Felipe Salazar