Workday expands ANZ student systems push after Gartner nod

Workday has been named a Leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Higher Education Student Information Systems for the second year in a row.

The ranking comes as Workday expands its student records and administration product in Australia and New Zealand, targeting universities facing cost pressure and operational strain.

More than 200 institutions in North America have selected Workday Student, with nearly 100 live and more than 30 forecast to go live. 

Since Workday Student's first deployment in 2018, nearly 100 institutions have gone live on the system, the company said. Named users include Louisiana State University, Tallahassee State College, the University of British Columbia, Southern Oregon University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

In Australia and New Zealand, 16 institutions, including RMIT, the University of Melbourne, and Macquarie University, use Workday software for HR and finance. Macquarie University, Deakin University, and the University of Queensland are among its higher education customers in the region.

ANZ push

Workday Student is now available in the ANZ region as the company looks to expand beyond finance and HR into the broader student lifecycle. The system is designed to bring student, academic, workforce, and financial data together on a single platform.

According to Workday, the product was developed with input from more than 40 institutions globally. A local advisory panel, made up of the University of Melbourne, Macquarie University, and the University of Auckland, has also been formed to help shape the product for the Australian and New Zealand market.

The software includes tools for course registration, billing, payments, grades, and advising appointments. It also includes AI features for administrative tasks such as recommendations, data-entry checks, and outlier detection.

Michael Hofherr, Senior Vice President of State, Local, and Higher Education Products at Workday, said: "We are honored to be recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Higher Education Student Information Systems for the second year in a row, but the true measure of our success is the success of our customers. With more than 200 institutions now on this journey with us, Workday Student has proven that a unified, AI-powered platform is what will enable institutions to become future-ready."

That figure of more than 200 institutions appears to refer to the broader number of organisations that have selected or are implementing Workday Student, rather than those already live on the platform.

Customer base

Several universities and colleges cited by Workday linked the system to operational changes and student support.

"Dallas College serves over 130,000 students across seven campuses with a singular goal: to become a 22nd century institution of higher learning. That demands enterprise-grade reliability and the flexibility to innovate - Workday Student delivers on both. Workday is our true transformation partner, giving us the infrastructure to operate at scale without ever losing sight of the individual student. That's a rare combination," said Russ Pearlman, Chief Information Officer at Dallas College.

"Workday has emerged as one of the leaders in enterprise, people-centric AI. This very much aligns with our institutional values. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in enterprise systems and in our institutional processes, Workday has helped us propel forward and get us ready," said Mur Muchane, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Wake Forest University.

"Pensacola State College has benefited from the technology advancements Workday's unified platform offers. The combination of a streamlined student experience, improved insights across the institution, and the strategic use of financial aid has driven a remarkable 43% enrollment growth over the last two years. All of this is possible thanks to the talented staff that support our students' success," said Michael Johnston, Associate Vice President of Institutional Research and Enterprise Solutions at Pensacola State College.

Regional market

Workday's local higher education lead said universities in Australia and New Zealand are looking for systems that can help manage tighter budgets while improving the student experience.

"Higher education institutions across Australia and New Zealand want to improve student experiences despite growing financial and operational pressures. Being named a Leader again in the Gartner Magic Quadrant reflects the shift toward more connected, data-driven platforms that can support these demands. We are seeing strong momentum in the ANZ market, with 16 institutions including RMIT, University of Melbourne and Macquarie University, using Workday to manage HR and finance. With Workday Student now available in the ANZ region, institutions have the opportunity to bring the full student lifecycle onto a single platform, helping to improve engagement, gain better insights, and operate with greater clarity and confidence," said Cade Elg, Higher Education Lead ANZ at Workday.

The higher education software market is increasingly focused on replacing older student information systems with cloud-based products that connect enrolment, finance, workforce, and planning data. Gartner's latest ranking gives Workday a fresh reference point as it seeks to expand its presence in that market, including in Australia and New Zealand.