Ellucian Smart Plan vs HighPoint Degree Planner

Ellucian Smart Plan is a web-based academic planning and registration solution for institutions, students, and advisors. It analyzes academic history, program requirements, prerequisites, and institutional policies to create validated course plans. Real-time student information system data tracks progress and recalculates a completion route when circumstances change. Students can model changing majors, adding a minor, or adjusting course load, then see course sequences, completion timing, and cost implications. They can register directly from plans while institutional registration windows, prerequisites, and policies are applied. A dynamic rules engine manages sequencing, program requirements, and course relationships; multi-goal updates can combine goals such as a double major and minor. Historical institutional data can help tailor plans. Ellucian says Smart Plan integrates natively with Degree Works and Colleague Student Planning. The product page invites institutions to schedule a live demo and does not state a price, free plan, or free trial. Ellucian offers implementation, optimization, and training services.

HighPoint Degree Planner helps students arrange graduation requirements across academic terms and map a route to graduation. It shows courses students should take and lets them place courses into terms. What-if planning lets students consider changes such as credit load, major, or study abroad and evaluate their effect on the plan. At the University of Pittsburgh, plans can be generated and refreshed using academic progress, degree requirements, prerequisites, and typical course offering semesters. A dashboard displays courses taken, remaining requirements, and recommended sequences. HighPoint says planning stays in sync with audits and scheduling, and its products are designed to reside inside PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. The planner uses students’ PeopleSoft requirements; HighPoint describes its in-PeopleSoft approach as requiring no integrations and leaving institutions in control of their data. Advisors can use plans to spot students who may need help staying on track. The University of Pittsburgh describes the planner as preparation for advising, not a substitute for individual advisor help. It runs on the web, with pricing on request.