Colleges and universities we’ve worked with
Since 2018, Northern has worked with more than 50 colleges and universities across Canada and the US. Hover over or tab to a pin to see who, and read the client stories.
5Vancouver and Vancouver Island, BC, 5 schools, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Vancouver and Vancouver Island, BC
UBC Continuing Professional Development (opens in a new tab)
Drupal and Salesforce for 50,000+ learners
Also
Langara College, Camosun College, Royal Roads University, Vancouver Island University
3Western Washington, 3 schools, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Western Washington
Olympic College (opens in a new tab)
9% enrollment increase in one year
UW Bothell (opens in a new tab)
14,000-page site rebuilt as 50+ WordPress subsites
Also
Whatcom Community College
Prince George, BC
College of New Caledonia
Castlegar, BC
Selkirk College
Calgary, AB
Alberta University of the Arts
University of Calgary
Edmonton, AB
University of Alberta
Athabasca, AB
Athabasca University
Brandon, MB
Assiniboine College
Winnipeg, MB
University of Manitoba
Thunder Bay, ON
Confederation College
Sudbury, ON
Laurentian University
Windsor, ON
University of Windsor
4London and Waterloo, ON, 4 schools, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
London and Waterloo, ON
Ivey Business School (opens in a new tab)
81% more leads, 40% lower cost per lead
Also
Western University
Fanshawe College
University of Waterloo
8Toronto and Hamilton, ON, 8 schools, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Toronto and Hamilton, ON
U of T School of Continuing Studies (opens in a new tab)
Three sites consolidated, 700+ courses indexed
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, U of T (opens in a new tab)
Mobile-first rebuild with automated content migration
George Brown Polytechnic (opens in a new tab)
Legacy Ektron CMS replatformed to Drupal
Mohawk College (opens in a new tab)
Proprietary CMS moved to open source Drupal
Also
York University, Seneca Polytechnic, Centennial College, Humber Polytechnic, University of Guelph-Humber
Kingston, ON
St. Lawrence College
Montreal, QC
McGill University
Antigonish, NS
St. Francis Xavier University
2Buffalo and Niagara, NY, 2 schools, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Buffalo and Niagara, NY
Canisius University (opens in a new tab)
Over six years of research, Drupal, SEO, and full-funnel marketing
Also
SUNY Niagara
Central New York
SUNY Onondaga
SUNY Morrisville
SUNY Oneonta
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Albany, NY, 1 school, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Albany, NY
Albany Law School (opens in a new tab)
Seven sites integrated into one, 2021 Acquia Engage award
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
4New York City area, 4 schools
New York City area
The Juilliard School
SUNY Maritime
SUNY Old Westbury
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Philadelphia, PA, 1 school, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Philadelphia, PA
Wharton Executive Education (opens in a new tab)
WordPress, registration, and Salesforce connected
Charlottesville, VA, 1 school, with client stories (opens in a new tab)
Charlottesville, VA
University of Virginia (opens in a new tab)
68 legacy sites replaced, 2020 WebAward
UVA School of Law (opens in a new tab)
24,000-page Drupal 7 site moved to Drupal 9, 35 content types cut to 20
Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota
Norman, OK
University of Oklahoma
Tallahassee, FL
Florida State University
Tempe, AZ
Arizona State University
Los Angeles, CA
University of California, Los Angeles
La Grande, OR
Eastern Oregon University
Has a client story
Client
Vancouver and Vancouver Island, BC
UBC Continuing Professional Development (opens in a new tab)
Drupal and Salesforce for 50,000+ learners
Also
Langara College, Camosun College, Royal Roads University, Vancouver Island University
Western Washington
Olympic College (opens in a new tab)
9% enrollment increase in one year
UW Bothell (opens in a new tab)
14,000-page site rebuilt as 50+ WordPress subsites
Also
Whatcom Community College
Prince George, BC
College of New Caledonia
Castlegar, BC
Selkirk College
Calgary, AB
Alberta University of the Arts
University of Calgary
Edmonton, AB
University of Alberta
Athabasca, AB
Athabasca University
Brandon, MB
Assiniboine College
Winnipeg, MB
University of Manitoba
Thunder Bay, ON
Confederation College
Sudbury, ON
Laurentian University
Windsor, ON
University of Windsor
London and Waterloo, ON
Ivey Business School (opens in a new tab)
81% more leads, 40% lower cost per lead
Also
Western University
Fanshawe College
University of Waterloo
Toronto and Hamilton, ON
U of T School of Continuing Studies (opens in a new tab)
Three sites consolidated, 700+ courses indexed
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, U of T (opens in a new tab)
Mobile-first rebuild with automated content migration
George Brown Polytechnic (opens in a new tab)
Legacy Ektron CMS replatformed to Drupal
Mohawk College (opens in a new tab)
Proprietary CMS moved to open source Drupal
Also
York University, Seneca Polytechnic, Centennial College, Humber Polytechnic, University of Guelph-Humber
Kingston, ON
St. Lawrence College
Montreal, QC
McGill University
Antigonish, NS
St. Francis Xavier University
Buffalo and Niagara, NY
Canisius University (opens in a new tab)
Over six years of research, Drupal, SEO, and full-funnel marketing
Also
SUNY Niagara
Central New York
SUNY Onondaga
SUNY Morrisville
SUNY Oneonta
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Albany, NY
Albany Law School (opens in a new tab)
Seven sites integrated into one, 2021 Acquia Engage award
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
New York City area
The Juilliard School
SUNY Maritime
SUNY Old Westbury
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Philadelphia, PA
Wharton Executive Education (opens in a new tab)
WordPress, registration, and Salesforce connected
Charlottesville, VA
University of Virginia (opens in a new tab)
68 legacy sites replaced, 2020 WebAward
UVA School of Law (opens in a new tab)
24,000-page Drupal 7 site moved to Drupal 9, 35 content types cut to 20
Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota
Norman, OK
University of Oklahoma
Tallahassee, FL
Florida State University
Tempe, AZ
Arizona State University
Los Angeles, CA
University of California, Los Angeles
La Grande, OR
Eastern Oregon University
What do you need help with?
01
Attracting more applicants
Reach the students you want and turn visits into applications.
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02
Helping students find what they need
Clear navigation, search, and connected systems.
Jump to section
03
Moving off an old CMS or too many sites
Drupal and WordPress migrations and site consolidation.
Jump to section
04
Meeting accessibility requirements
WCAG, ADA Title II, and AODA, built in from the start.
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Attracting more applicants
Enrollment marketing and web design that turn visits into applications
Enrollment is a competition with peer institutions targeting the same students. Northern connects your website, paid media, SEO, email, and marketing automation so a prospective student gets the same clear answer in an ad, a search result, and an inbox. We also build program pages around what students compare first, like cost, outcomes, pathways, and how the program is delivered.
How we help
- UX and program page design (UX design services)
- Paid media and performance creative (performance marketing)
- SEO and GEO for program and admissions pages
- GA4 and Google Tag Manager tracking from first click to application
Leads
+81%
Cost per lead
−40%
Client result
Ivey Business School
81% more leads for Ivey Business School and a 40% lower cost per lead, after Northern rebuilt its paid campaigns, SEO, and tracking.
Enrollment
+24%
Client result
SUNY Niagara
Enrollment rose 24% one year after its rebuild with Northern and Pantheon, an estimated $1.9 to $2.1 million in additional annual revenue.
Helping students find what they need
Help students find what they need, before and after they enroll
Students and staff use the same site for very different jobs. A prospective student is comparing programs. A current student needs a deadline, a form, or a course. Do your search results and navigation work for both? Northern designs the structure around those tasks, then connects the systems behind it, like your student information system, CRM, learning platform, and course catalog, so the answer is on the page instead of in another login.
How we help
- Information architecture and navigation built from user research
- Site search and course finders students can filter
- Integrations with Salesforce, student information systems, and learning platforms
- Content for specific audiences, like military students and continuing education learners
Learners
50,000+
Client result
UBC Continuing Professional Development
Healthcare professionals can now register and complete courses without leaving the site. Northern rebuilt it on Drupal for 50,000+ learners, with Salesforce and the eLearning platform connected.
Courses indexed
700+
Client result
University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Three legacy sites became one Drupal site, with a headless course search that lets search engines index 700+ courses.
Client story
How Olympic College’s new site supported a 9% enrollment increase
Olympic College serves more than 8,500 military and civilian students each year. Its old Drupal 7 site was written mostly for internal audiences, search was limited, and it didn’t fully meet ADA standards. Bounce rates were high and engagement was low.
Northern started with user research with students and staff. The new navigation follows Guided Pathways principles to support student success, with separate experiences for civilian and military students. Funnelback powers site search, PeopleSoft feeds student information, and structured templates keep editors on brand. The site was built to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Moving off an old CMS or too many sites
Drupal for higher education, and a clear path off old platforms
Drupal 7 reached end of life on January 5, 2025, and Drupal 10 follows on December 9, 2026. Some universities also manage hundreds of separate sites. The University of Virginia’s IT team managed more than 300 before moving to Site Factory. Northern plans the content review, redirects, and editor tools before the move, so you migrate less and launch something your team can actually run.
We build on Drupal and WordPress, and we’ll recommend the one that fits your governance, integrations, and editors.
How we help
- Drupal 7, 9, and 10 upgrades and migrations (Drupal development services)
- Multisite and site factory builds with central governance
- Content audits that cut what doesn’t need to move
- Component libraries editors can use without a developer
Legacy sites replaced
68
Client result
University of Virginia
Twenty Drupal 7 sites moved to Acquia Cloud Site Factory, and 68 legacy sites were replaced through content consolidation. The project won a 2020 WebAward for Standard of Excellence.
Pages reduced
3,100 → ~500
Time to launch
10 months
Client result
Tompkins Cortland Community College
About 3,100 pages cut to roughly 500 at launch, 10 months from research to launch. TC3’s small team now handles about 90% of publishing in-house.
Public sector
Open source Drupal for public institutions
Colleges and universities aren’t the only public organizations that build on Drupal. Northern also designs Drupal platforms for public service organizations, where accessibility, security, and plain language aren’t optional.
The same approach carries over to higher ed: start with the tasks people come to do, then build a platform your own team can run.
[TBD – Victor] Placeholder. Confirm details and if WSIB can be named.
Public service work
A service-first Drupal platform for an Ontario public agency
Northern designed and built a Drupal platform that helps people find services and get tasks done online, with content their own team can publish and maintain.
- Built around the tasks people come to complete
- Accessible templates and plain-language content
- Publishing workflows the in-house team manages
Why public institutions choose Drupal
No licence fees
Drupal is open source, so your budget goes to the site and the people using it, not to software licences.
Accessibility from the start
Drupal core is built to WCAG guidelines, which gives your team a solid base for meeting AA requirements.
A dedicated security team
Drupal’s security team reviews core and contributed modules and publishes advisories, so known issues get patched fast.
Many sites, one platform
Run departments, faculties, and campaigns from one codebase with a shared design system and governance.
[TBD – Victor] Placeholder offer. Confirm name, scope, and price.
Drupal health check
A fixed-scope review of your Drupal site. You get a prioritized list of fixes and a clear plan for what comes next, whether that’s an upgrade, a cleanup, or ongoing support.
- Version and module status
- Security updates
- Accessibility spot check
- Performance
- Upgrade path
Meeting accessibility requirements
Higher education website accessibility, built in from the start
Making your content accessible improves the experience for every user. In the US, the ADA Title II rule requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA for public colleges and universities, and in Ontario, AODA requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Northern builds and tests to the standard you have to meet, so students can use your site with any ability and on any device.
How we help
- Accessibility audits with automated and manual testing (digital accessibility services)
- Fixes to templates, components, documents, and media
- Testing with adaptive technology users
- Editor training so new content stays accessible
Built to
WCAG 2.1 AA
Client result
Olympic College and Canisius University
Both sites were built to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Not sure where you stand? The Accessibility Check-Up is a $2,500 review of your site with an automated scan, an expert review of key pages, and a 30-minute consultation, in as little as two weeks.
Knowing where to start
Research and strategy before anything gets built
We’ll work with your team to research your goals, your market position, your challenges, and your technology. From user research, internal interviews, competitive scans, content analysis, and a review of your tech, we’ll show you where to improve your student experience, governance, technology, and content.
How we help
- Surveys, interviews, and focus groups with students, faculty, and staff
- Content audits and governance plans
- Platform and vendor recommendations
- A roadmap your team can resource
Replatformed
Ektron → Drupal
Client result
George Brown College
Market research, stakeholder workshops, and online surveys shaped the move off a legacy Ektron CMS to Drupal for a college with 25,000 full-time students.
Supporting a small web team
Ongoing support for small higher ed web teams
Every complex system needs maintenance. Northern offers end-to-end support, 24/7 in-house monitoring, account management, and security management in flexible support models, so your team has developers, server administrators, and accessibility specialists when you need them.
Northern has partnered with Canisius University for over six years and with the Wharton School since 2009.
How we help
- Managed services and retainers (how we partner)
- Security monitoring and incident response
- Drupal and WordPress updates
- Creative and marketing support on demand
“They’re not just a vendor, they’re my team.”
Steve Erwin, UX/UI Web Lead, Tompkins Cortland Community College
Publishing in-house
~90%
Partnership
Tompkins Cortland Community College
How a small in-house team works with Northern day to day.
How a higher ed website project runs
01
Research
We talk to students, staff, and faculty, audit your content and technology, and agree on what success looks like.
02
Plan
You get a site structure, a platform recommendation, and a roadmap your team can resource.
03
Build and launch
We design, build, test for accessibility, migrate content, and train your editors before launch.
04
Support and improve
After launch, we watch performance and security, fix what comes up, and keep improving based on data.
Higher education webinars and articles
Chat with one of our higher education experts
Tell us what you’re working on, whether that’s a redesign, a migration, an accessibility deadline, or an enrollment campaign. You’ll hear back from someone who works with colleges and universities every day.
Common questions about higher education web design and development
Northern researches, designs, builds, and supports websites for colleges and universities, mainly on Drupal and WordPress. The work also covers accessibility, enrollment marketing, SEO, analytics, and integrations with systems like Salesforce and student information systems. Clients include the Wharton School, the University of Virginia, Ivey Business School, and Olympic College.
Both are open source and both run large university sites. Drupal fits sites with many content types, detailed editor permissions, and complex integrations. WordPress fits teams that want simpler block-based editing. Northern builds on both and recommends one after reviewing your governance, integrations, and editors. For UW Bothell, Northern compared the two and recommended WordPress for its Gutenberg content blocks.
Drupal 7 reached end of life on January 5, 2025, and no longer receives community security updates. Drupal 10 reaches end of life on December 9, 2026. Drupal 12.0.0 is scheduled for the week of December 7, 2026. Sites on Drupal 7 or 10 should plan a move to a supported version.
The Department of Justice’s 2024 ADA Title II rule requires state and local government web content and mobile apps, including those of public colleges and universities, to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. An interim final rule published April 20, 2026, moved the compliance dates by one year. Public entities serving 50,000 or more people now have until April 26, 2027, and smaller entities have until April 26, 2028. The standard itself did not change.
Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requires public sector organizations, including colleges and universities, to make public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes every WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criterion, so building to 2.1 covers both.
Timelines depend on the number of sites, pages, and integrations. Recent Northern projects took 9 to 12 months, including the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (nine months), Tompkins Cortland Community College (10 months from research to launch), and UW Bothell (one year).
Yes, if the site is built for it. Northern builds component libraries, editing permissions, and training into each project. At Tompkins Cortland Community College, the in-house team handles about 90% of publishing. At UW Bothell, the CMS user manual is built into the site.
The Accessibility Check-Up costs $2,500 and takes as little as two weeks. It includes an automated scan on desktop and mobile, an expert review of your main menu, header, footer, and up to three more pages, recommendations from an accessibility consultant, a written report, and a 30-minute consultation. It doesn’t include remediation.