WordPress has entrenched itself as one of the most widely used CMS’s today. As open-source software, WordPress is extremely customizable and easy to manage. You can also leverage WordPress as a multisite tool, which only makes it that much more appropriate for a higher education website.
Although the fear-mongering around WordPress has finally seemed to subside, for a long time it was viewed as a subpar solution for a college or university website. Many people were wary about speed, security, and scalability. However, as WordPress has grown and demonstrated success on these fronts, more people are realizing what a capable CMS WordPress can be in the education sector. Now with Gutenberg allowing a block-centric approach to page building, we will probably see more universities using WordPress in the future.
Here are over 70 colleges and universities that are using WordPress to power their main websites and microsites.
Main (Marketing) Websites:
1. Stanford University
2. Boston University
3. University of Southern California
4. Syracuse University
5. University of Alabama
6. Clemson University
7. Vanderbilt University
8. University of North Carolina
9. Northeastern University
10. Boise State University
11. University of Central Florida
12. Georgia State University
13. Georgia Southern University
14. University of Washington
15. Clark University
16. University of Rhode Island
17. NC State University
18. City University of New York
19. Wheaton College
20. Des Moine University
21. University of Tennessee
22. University of Arkansas Little Rock
23. Lafayette College
24. Endicott College
25. Maine College of Art
26. Bates College
27. University of Maine
28. Colby College
29. Washington University in St. Louis
30. Sierra Nevada College
31. Colorado School of Mines
32. Roseman University
33. Pacific States University
34. Williams College
35. Cairn University
36. Kentucky State University
37. Elon University
38. Averett University
39. Saint Mary’s College of Maryland
40. The College of New Jersey
41. University of Lynchburg
42. Campbell University
43. University of South Florida – St. Petersburg
44. Faulkner University
45. The King’s University
46. Scarborough College
47. Spring Arbor University
48. Scripps College
49. Harvey Mudd College
50. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
51. Bushnell University
52. Washington State University
53. Skagit Valley College
Microsites
While some schools utilize WordPress as their main marketing tool, others leverage its functionality as a news site. A few other schools have also used WordPress to build complete microsites for specific departments or schools.
1. Harvard University – Blog
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Museum Exhibition
3. Texas A&M – Mays Business School
4. Texas A&M – News
5. University of California Berkeley – Blog
6. University of Alabama – News Center
7. University of Central Florida – College of Medicine
8. University of Florida – Office of Research
9. Northeastern University – Information Technology Services
10. Vanderbilt University – News
11. Indiana University – School of Medicine
12. Worcester State University – News
13. Oregon State University – Blog
14. Adams State University – Blog
15. University of Iowa – The Loop (Medical Blog)
16. Wayne State University – Library System
17. Florida International University – College of Engineering and Computing
18. University of Missouri – College of Engineering
Lots of colleges and universities are starting to adopt WordPress, and it shows. UX Design Collective performed a case study that showed that for most small to medium-sized schools, WordPress was their CMS of choice. And as evidenced by this list, many use WordPress for their front-facing marketing website as opposed to a microsite or blog index. We wrote a blog about why WordPress is so perfect for most college websites if this topic interests you further.
WordPress and higher education are two niches that we specialize in. If your college or university is looking to redesign their website, check out our higher education work, and get in touch with us.
