Modern Campus CMS

Modern Campus CMS is a hosted web content management system marketed exclusively for higher education. It includes editorial workflows, custom user roles, SEO tools, a media library, and custom content types. Editors can use WYSIWYG tools, drag-and-drop interfaces, forms, and surveys; Layout Builder provides low-code page creation and management for non-technical users. Publishing workflows and page health checks support review before pages go live. The system can automatically test accessibility against WCAG 2.2 and supports on-brand webpages and search-optimized blog posts. It operates as a cloud-based solution and can publish to institution production servers through a browser. Hosting includes DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and regular operating system patches. Authentication options include LDAP, CAS, Shibboleth, and SAML 2.0 SSO with validated identity providers. An August 2026 release added AI help for checking and improving page titles and descriptions, requiring an institution OpenAI API key. Pricing is available on request. Modern Campus no longer sells its self-hosted CMS, though it continues to support existing self-hosted customers.

Modern Campus CMS combines higher-education-focused publishing tools with accessibility checks, hosting protections, and multiple authentication options. Institutions considering it should note that pricing requires a request and the self-hosted version is no longer sold.

Modern Campus CMS is aimed at higher education institutions managing web content and publishing workflows. Its low-code page tools may suit non-technical editors, while authentication and developer options may support institutional teams.

Overview

Modern Campus CMS is a hosted web content management system built specifically for colleges and universities. It is best for campus communications and web teams coordinating content across departments, where approval workflows and accessibility checks matter as much as page creation. Its higher-education focus is a clear advantage for those institutions, but new buyers cannot choose a self-hosted deployment.

Key features

Editorial workflows, custom user roles, approvals, and pre-publication health checks give institutions a way to divide publishing work while reviewing pages before release. That structure is useful when many departments contribute to institutional sites; smaller teams with simple publishing needs may find the workflow emphasis unnecessary. WYSIWYG editing, drag-and-drop tools, forms and surveys, and Layout Builder let non-technical staff build and manage pages with low-code tools rather than relying on developers for every update.

Accessibility checks against WCAG 2.2 and SEO tools address two practical demands of public-facing campus content. Marketing teams can create on-brand webpages and search-optimized blog posts. An AI feature added in August 2026 can check and improve titles and descriptions, but it requires the institution to provide an OpenAI API key.

Custom content types, a media library, and more than 500 APIs give technical teams room to extend the CMS. Purchasable modules include Calendar, Emergency Alerts, Forms, Insights, Personalization Advanced, and Website Search, so institutions can add capabilities but should account for module costs. Personalization can tailor dynamic content to visitor behavior, demographics, and interests; data can be imported by CSV from systems such as Slate, Salesforce, and Ellucian, including automated SFTP uploads.

Modern Campus Hosting includes DDoS protection, a web application firewall, and regular operating system patches. The CMS supports LDAP, CAS, and Shibboleth, as well as SAML 2.0 single sign-on with validated identity providers. These options make it a stronger fit for campus IT environments than a basic standalone publishing tool. It is cloud-based and can publish to institution production servers. Existing self-hosted customers continue to receive support, but new Self-Host sales have ended.

Pricing

Modern Campus CMS is paid software with custom pricing; institutions must request a quote. That makes budget comparison less immediate than with products that publish fixed plans. Modules are available for purchase, so institutions should clarify which capabilities are included in their proposed package and which add to the cost.

There are no published plan tiers, seat counts, quotas, trial terms, or renewal terms to compare. The self-hosted option is not available to new customers, narrowing the deployment choice to the cloud-based offering.

Platforms

The CMS runs in a browser and supports current Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and macOS Safari. The platform listing also includes Android, iOS, API, and self-hosted, but self-hosting is no longer sold to new customers. Browser support makes it usable across common desktop environments, while APIs provide an extension path for development teams.

Who it's for

Modern Campus CMS is aimed at higher-education institutions managing complex public websites with multiple contributors, accessibility requirements, and campus identity systems. Its low-code editing helps non-technical staff participate, while workflows, roles, integrations, and APIs serve communications and IT teams. Institutions seeking transparent pricing, a newly available self-hosted product, or a simpler site editor should consider other options.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Higher-education-specific workflows, roles, and publishing checks support distributed campus teams.
• Pros: WCAG 2.2 accessibility checks, SEO tools, and the title-and-description assistant address content quality needs, though the AI feature requires an institutional OpenAI API key.
• Pros: Hosting protections and multiple campus authentication options give IT teams security and identity choices.
• Cons: Custom pricing requires a quote, making costs harder to compare upfront.
• Cons: Purchasable modules can add cost, and new customers cannot buy the self-hosted version.

Alternatives

For adjacent needs, compare Content Management Systems, Curriculum Management Software, and Student Engagement Software. Choose ExamSoft when its exam-focused platform is a closer match; capabilities and add-ons depend on the customer order form. Choose Ilios if an open-source, community-based application that can be forked on GitHub suits your institution better. Toddle is another paid option, with a free trial and user-tiered pricing for its Planning Pro plan. OpenCurriculum is worth considering for curriculum work that can fit its free Teacher or Team plan, with limits on users, courses, and storage. Atlas offers a free standards library and a paid Public Atlas Site for sharing standards. Outcomap has a free plan capped at one map, five AI map generations and edits per month, and five-page PDFs, with Pro at $90 a year. PeopleGrove Engagement Hub and CourseLoop are other paid options.

Verdict

Modern Campus CMS is a strong choice for higher-education institutions that need coordinated publishing, accessibility checks, and campus-oriented integrations in a hosted system. Its workflows and extension options suit multi-department sites, but custom pricing and the end of new self-hosted sales are meaningful constraints. Look elsewhere if a transparent price or a new self-hosted deployment is essential.