The Best Academic Advising Software in 2026
The products in this category were researched from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on each platform’s core advising job, value for money, and verified features for degree planning, progress monitoring, and coordinated student interventions.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
EAB Navigate360#1 of 218.8/10A comprehensive advising and care platform for institutions coordinating student success.
Pricing on request
-
Runner-up
Civitas Advising#2 of 218.6/10A connected advising workspace for institutions coordinating planning, alerts, outreach, and support.
Pricing on request
-
Top-ranked free plan
FlightPath#9 of 217.5/10A flexible open-source option for institutions that need advising, planning, and degree audits.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 21 tools, best first
-
Best forInstitutions needing comprehensive advising and care
A comprehensive advising and care platform for institutions coordinating student success.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit EAB -
Best forInstitutions wanting mobile, collaborative advising
A connected advising workspace for institutions coordinating planning, alerts, outreach, and support.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
8.6/10★★★★☆Try Civitas Advising -
Best forInstitutions needing mobile student success tools
A broad advising and engagement suite for institutions prioritizing mobile student support.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Watermark -
Best forTeams needing practical student-success workflows
A broad student-success platform for coordinating alerts, advising, planning, and interventions.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit EAB -
Best forEllucian institutions needing deep planning
A deep planning solution for Ellucian institutions managing complex student pathways.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions focused on alerts and advising operations
A strong fit for institutions prioritizing alerts, case management, and advising operations.
- Intervention workflows
- Early alerts
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions prioritizing integrated degree planning
A broad advising platform for institutions that want planning, alerts, workflows, and analytics together.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Stellic -
Best forInstitutions needing broad planning and integrations
A broad advising system for institutions that need planning, audits, alerts, and integrations.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit CoreCampus -
Best forBudget-conscious institutions wanting open source
A flexible open-source option for institutions that need advising, planning, and degree audits.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit FlightPath -
Best forInstitutions centered on retention interventions
A focused retention platform for alerts, advising cases, and intervention workflows.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit ConexED -
Best forInstitutions focused on validated academic plans
A validated planning workspace for colleges and universities managing degree pathways.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit CollegeSource -
Best forEnterprise degree-audit administration
A configurable degree-audit system for complex curricula, transfer work, and batch reporting.
- Degree audit
- Student planning portal
- Early alerts
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit CollegeSource -
Best forAdvising teams needing affordable retention workflows
A paid advising platform for scheduling, retention workflows, and multi-center student support.
- Intervention workflows
- Student planning portal
- Early alerts
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit TracCloud -
Best forEnterprise degree audit and planning
A broad degree audit and planning suite for institutions using Ellucian and SIS systems.
- Intervention workflows
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Ellucian -
Best forInstitutions focused on planning and analytics
A planning and analytics suite for institutions managing degree progress and advising risk.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Early alerts
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit AdviseU -
Best forPeopleSoft institutions needing degree roadmaps
A PeopleSoft-focused planner for roadmaps, prerequisite checks, and what-if advising.
- Degree planning
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit HighPoint -
Best forAdvising teams centered on appointments and messaging
A focused web solution for appointment-led advising, messaging, meetings, and early alerts.
- Student planning portal
- Early alerts
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Upswing -
Best forReal-time planning with course availability
A connected advising platform for live degree progress, planning, and course availability.
- Degree audit
- Degree planning
- Student planning portal
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Kuali Advisor -
Best forTeams managing advisee caseloads
A focused PeopleSoft advising layer for portfolios, caseloads, and early alerts.
- Early alerts
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit HighPoint -
Best forPeopleSoft institutions needing audit configuration
A focused PeopleSoft module for configuring, validating, and reporting degree audits.
- Degree audit
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit HighPoint -
Best forAdmissions teams managing application volume
A broad admissions platform, but its $30,000 annual entry price suits admissions teams—not advising teams.
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Slate
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Paid from | Degree audit | Degree planning | Early alerts | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EAB Navigate360 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 2 | Civitas Advising | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8.6 | |
| 3 | Watermark Student Success & Engagement | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | ||
| 4 | Starfish | Yes | Yes | 8.2 | ||
| 5 | Ellucian Smart Plan | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | ||
| 6 | Ellucian Advising | Yes | 8.0 | |||
| 7 | Stellic | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 8 | CoreCampus | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 9 | FlightPath | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7.5 |
| 10 | ConexED Retain | Yes | Yes | 7.2 | ||
| 11 | uAchieve Planner | Yes | Yes | 7.1 | ||
| 12 | uAchieve Degree Audit | Yes | Yes | 7.0 | ||
| 13 | TracCloud | Yes | 6.9 | |||
| 14 | Ellucian Degree Works | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 15 | AdviseU | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 16 | HighPoint Degree Planner | Yes | 6.4 | |||
| 17 | Upswing Advising & Early Alerts | Yes | 6.3 | |||
| 18 | Kuali Advisor | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.2 | |
| 19 | HighPoint Advisee Relationship Management | Yes | 6.1 | |||
| 20 | HighPoint Degree Audit Wizard | Yes | 6.0 | |||
| 21 | Slate | $30,000/yr | 5.9 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- EAB Navigate360 vs Civitas Advising
- EAB Navigate360 vs Watermark Student Success & Engagement
- EAB Navigate360 vs Starfish
- EAB Navigate360 vs Ellucian Smart Plan
- EAB Navigate360 vs Ellucian Advising
- EAB Navigate360 vs Stellic
- EAB Navigate360 vs CoreCampus
- Civitas Advising vs Watermark Student Success & Engagement
- Civitas Advising vs Starfish
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How we rank academic advising software
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update