Civitas Advising vs Ellucian Smart Plan

Civitas Advising8.6Visit Ellucian Smart Plan8.1Visit

Higher score Civitas Advising #2 in Academic Advising Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request ✓ 5 of 5 features Try Civitas Advising

vs

Ellucian Smart Plan #5 in Academic Advising Software 8.1/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Ellucian

• Civitas Advising fits best

  Institutions wanting mobile, collaborative advising

• Ellucian Smart Plan fits best

  Ellucian institutions needing deep planning

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Side by side

Feature	Civitas Advising 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Ellucian Smart Plan 8.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	8.1
Ranking	#2 in Academic Advising Software	#5 in Academic Advising Software
Best for	Institutions wanting mobile, collaborative advising	Ellucian institutions needing deep planning
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML	ISO 27001, PCI DSS
Integrations	6 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Civitas Advising 5/5 · Ellucian Smart Plan 3/5
Degree audit	✓	✓
Degree planning	✓	✓
Early alerts	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Intervention workflows	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Student planning portal	✓	✓
Specs
Mobile access	Mobile	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Combines profiles, alerts, notes, messaging, scheduling, and interventions Supports degree planning, academic roadmaps, and degree-audit connections Offers web, iOS, Android, API, SIS, LMS, CRM, Canvas, and calendar integrations	Personalizes and updates term-by-term plans as circumstances change Supports what-if analysis for programs, schedules, cost, and completion timing Connects planning with direct registration and Ellucian systems
Cons	Pricing requires a sales conversation and institution-specific order forms Capabilities depend on institutional configuration and user permissions Mobile access is browser-based rather than a separate mobile app	Pricing requires a contact-sales process Evaluation begins with a scheduled demo rather than a self-serve trial Its focus is academic planning and registration rather than broader advising workflows
Our verdict	Civitas Advising is a configurable student-success capability within Civitas Learning’s Student Impact Platform. It is designed for higher-education advisors, faculty, and staff who need a shared view of student information and coordinated… Read the review →	Ellucian Smart Plan is an academic planning and registration solution for colleges and universities. It uses academic history, program requirements, prerequisites, institutional policies, and course availability to create personalized,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Civitas Advising — where it wins

  • Combines profiles, alerts, notes, messaging, scheduling, and interventions
  • Supports degree planning, academic roadmaps, and degree-audit connections
  • Offers web, iOS, Android, API, SIS, LMS, CRM, Canvas, and calendar integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a sales conversation and institution-specific order forms
  • Capabilities depend on institutional configuration and user permissions
  • Mobile access is browser-based rather than a separate mobile app

• Ellucian Smart Plan — where it wins

  • Personalizes and updates term-by-term plans as circumstances change
  • Supports what-if analysis for programs, schedules, cost, and completion timing
  • Connects planning with direct registration and Ellucian systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires a contact-sales process
  • Evaluation begins with a scheduled demo rather than a self-serve trial
  • Its focus is academic planning and registration rather than broader advising workflows

• Civitas Advising8.6/10 · Pricing on request

  A connected advising workspace for institutions coordinating planning, alerts, outreach, and support.

  Try Civitas AdvisingFull verdict →
• Ellucian Smart Plan8.1/10 · Pricing on request

  A deep planning solution for Ellucian institutions managing complex student pathways.

  Visit EllucianFull verdict →