Which CMS should a university pick — Drupal, WordPress, or headless React?

Drupal for flagship .edu and R1 research institutions with complex editorial workflows and multi-site needs. WordPress for departmental sites, program microsites, and content-heavy pages that need editorial velocity. Headless React (TanStack Start or Next.js) for portals and program tools with deep SIS/CRM integration. Many institutions run all three with a shared design system.

Do you build to WCAG 2.2 AA and Section 508?

Yes. Every site launches with a VPAT, automated axe and pa11y checks running in CI, and manual assistive-technology testing on NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver. Accessibility is scoped at the start and reviewed on every pull request, not audited at the end.

Can you integrate with Banner, Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, or Canvas?

Yes. Common higher-ed integrations we've shipped include Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft (SIS), Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, TargetX (CRM), Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle (LMS), Cvent, Blackbaud, iModules, and program-catalog systems like CourseLeaf and Kuali.

How much does a higher education website cost?

Departmental sites start around $45K. Mid-size university redesigns run $100K–$300K depending on program-catalog complexity and integration surface area. Flagship redesigns with heavy migration and multiple integrations run $300K and up. Care plans run $4.5K–$12K per month post-launch.

How long does a higher-ed redesign take?

Departmental or program microsites: 10–16 weeks. Mid-size college full redesigns: 4–7 months. Large-university flagships with content migration and SIS/CRM re-integration: 9–18 months. Content readiness is the most common cause of overruns, which is why our discovery includes a content-ops plan.

Does DoodleWeb handle Answer Engine Optimization for admissions?

Yes. Every redesign includes Organization, Course, and EducationalOccupationalProgram schema plus entity pages for programs and centers so ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity cite your programs when prospective students ask 'what's the best program for X.' Standalone AEO sprints are available for institutions that just launched a site.

Which CMS should a university pick — Drupal, WordPress, or headless React?

Drupal for flagship .edu and R1 research institutions with complex editorial workflows and multi-site needs. WordPress for departmental sites, program microsites, and content-heavy pages that need editorial velocity. Headless React (TanStack Start or Next.js) for portals and program tools with deep SIS/CRM integration. Many institutions run all three with a shared design system.

Do you build to WCAG 2.2 AA and Section 508?

Yes. Every site launches with a VPAT, automated axe and pa11y checks running in CI, and manual assistive-technology testing on NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver. Accessibility is scoped at the start and reviewed on every pull request, not audited at the end.

Can you integrate with Banner, Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, or Canvas?

Yes. Common higher-ed integrations we've shipped include Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft (SIS), Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, TargetX (CRM), Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle (LMS), Cvent, Blackbaud, iModules, and program-catalog systems like CourseLeaf and Kuali.

How much does a higher education website cost?

Departmental sites start around $45K. Mid-size university redesigns run $100K–$300K depending on program-catalog complexity and integration surface area. Flagship redesigns with heavy migration and multiple integrations run $300K and up. Care plans run $4.5K–$12K per month post-launch.

How long does a higher-ed redesign take?

Departmental or program microsites: 10–16 weeks. Mid-size college full redesigns: 4–7 months. Large-university flagships with content migration and SIS/CRM re-integration: 9–18 months. Content readiness is the most common cause of overruns, which is why our discovery includes a content-ops plan.

Does DoodleWeb handle Answer Engine Optimization for admissions?

Yes. Every redesign includes Organization, Course, and EducationalOccupationalProgram schema plus entity pages for programs and centers so ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity cite your programs when prospective students ask 'what's the best program for X.' Standalone AEO sprints are available for institutions that just launched a site.

SERVICE · HIGHER EDUCATION WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

University website development done right.

Senior-led higher education website development for universities and colleges — accessible, high-performance, and built around the audience journeys that actually move student engagement.

Schedule a call

When to hire us for this

When your .edu is a federated system with real audiences (admissions, current students, faculty, alumni, donors), accessibility is legally enforceable, and you need a partner who has shipped this shape of project before.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Everythingthatshipswithevery engagement.

Higher-ed sites carry constraints most marketing sites do not. These are the deliverables built in from day one — not phase two.

Prospective-student journeys

Applicant, transfer, graduate, and international pathways mapped and designed as first-class experiences — not a subsection under 'Admissions'. Program discovery, cost estimators, and next-step CTAs your enrollment team can trust.

Program catalogs at scale

Program pages built from a structured content model, not a copy-and-pasted PDF. Filterable by degree level, format, department, and outcome — with schema so ChatGPT and Gemini cite the right program in AI answers.

WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility

Automated axe and pa11y checks in CI, manual NVDA/JAWS/VoiceOver testing, and a VPAT for every launched site. Section 508 conformance for institutions receiving federal funding.

SIS and CRM integrations

Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft, Slate, Salesforce Education Cloud, TargetX. Live program data, application status, and event registration wired into the site without shadow spreadsheets.

Multi-site and federated IA

Drupal multi-site or WordPress multisite with a shared design system so departments, schools, and centers can ship their own pages without breaking the brand or the analytics.

AEO for admissions

Organization, Course, and EducationalOccupationalProgram schema plus entity pages so prospective students find your programs when they ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity — not just Google.

OUR PROCESS

Sixsteps,oneconversation.

Linear enough for a campus governance committee to plan around, flexible enough to do good work.

Discover

Stakeholder interviews across admissions, academic affairs, communications, IT, and advancement. Analytics audit, content inventory, and accessibility baseline.

Strategize

Federated IA, prospective-student journey mapping, program-catalog content model, integration plan (SIS, CRM, LMS), and a governance model your campus can actually staff.

Design

Brand-true visual system, page templates for every audience, and a component library your internal team can extend. Accessibility reviewed at every step, not audited at the end.

Develop

Drupal, WordPress, or headless React engineering. Automated accessibility CI, structured content, and a decoupled component library ready for department-level authoring.

Launch

Content migration with SEO-safe redirects, staging QA, VPAT, training for editors across departments, and a coordinated cutover with rollback plan.

Support

Care-plan retainer for accessibility, small features, integration work, and quarterly AEO/SEO reporting so admissions content keeps performing after launch.

THE STACK

Higher-ed web platforms, picked for fit.

Drupal for flagships and research institutions. WordPress for departments, program microsites, and content-heavy sites. Headless React for program tools and portals with deep SIS/CRM integration.

Drupal 10 / 11WordPressHeadless ReactTanStack StartNext.jsSlate CRMSalesforce Ed CloudBanner / ColleagueWP EngineAcquia

FEATURED WORK

Educationworkweareproud of.

A few recent engagements where audience-led IA, accessible design, and integrated content-ops came together.

Education · WordPress

Young Americans Center for Financial Education

Education · CMS + Programs

Institute for Educational Advancement

See all case studies

WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER

Fourwaysin,one quality bar.

Pick the engagement that fits your campus timeline. We'll tell you honestly if a different tier is a better fit.

Departmental site

from $45k

A school, center, or program site that has to ship in a semester, not a year.

Up to 20 templated pages
Program listing + detail pattern
WCAG 2.2 AA + VPAT
Analytics + editor training

Full institution redesign

from $120k

Flagship .edu redesign with federated IA and full audience coverage.

Prospective, current, faculty, alumni journeys
Program catalog content model
SIS or CRM integration
Design system + editor documentation

Care plan

$4.5k–$12k / month

Ongoing higher-ed partner, on retainer.

Accessibility monitoring + fixes
Admissions-cycle feature work
Integration + content-ops support
Quarterly AEO/SEO reporting

Replatform

from $180k

Migrate from a legacy CMS (Drupal 7, SharePoint, Cascade, OU Campus) to a modern platform.

Content migration + SEO-safe redirects
Design system rebuild
SIS/CRM re-integration
Editor training across departments

QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Thethingshigher-edleadersask most.

let's get to it

Ready to start your higher education website project?

Get a quote Schedule a call

FEATURED WORK

Real results from real engagements.

A snapshot of the higher education website development engagements where DoodleWeb owned strategy, design, and engineering end-to-end.

01 · Aerospace & Defense

Ursa Major

Ursa Major delivers mission-ready aerospace and defense systems across hypersonics, solid rocket motors, and space-based defense, leveraging additive manufacturing and modular architectures to produce scalable all-up rounds, engines, and SRMs faster than legacy providers. From throttleable, storable hypersonics to tactically responsive satellite propulsion and extended-range solid rocket motors, Ursa Major is powering the joint force with flexible, American-made systems for any mission, in any domain. DoodleWeb replatformed them onto WordPress — shipping a procurement-grade marketing site with significantly faster page loads, restructured navigation for defense and government stakeholders, and an editor-friendly CMS that lets internal comms publish at the pace of an engineering organization. Shipped in 16 weeks.

WordPress · 2024Read

02 · Technology & SaaS

Amplify AI

Amplify AI, a B2B SaaS startup, replaced a slow custom WordPress site with a Webflow rebuild from DoodleWeb. Outcome: 4× demo bookings in the first 60 days post-launch, demo-to-customer rate up 60%, and a marketing team that ships pages independently without engineering involvement. Shipped in 10 weeks.

Webflow · 2024Read

03 · Education

Young Americans Center

Young Americans Center, a nonprofit operating both a financial-education program and a youth-focused bank, unified two previously disconnected sites onto one WordPress platform on WP Engine. Outcome: a single high-impact brand story, editorial controls that respect the boundary between mission and product, and a platform an in-house team can extend. Shipped in 18 weeks. WCAG 2.2 AA conformant.

WordPress on WP Engine · 2024Read

04 · Technology & SaaS

SiteSonar

SiteSonar is a DoodleWeb-built product: a no-code website performance adapter that lifts AI-search (GEO/AEO) visibility, identifies high-intent traffic, and converts more pipeline — without rebuilding the underlying site. Starts at $99/month, installs in 14 days, requires zero CMS migration. Used by marketing teams that need AI-search citation share without a replatform.

Custom React + Edge · 2025Read

See all work

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