California State University System Goes Live with Ellucian Student Financial Success Solutions to Support Enrollment, Expand Access to Higher Education

All CSU campuses now leverage Ellucian Student Forms and Campus Communicator, unifying and streamlining financial aid processing for students and staff

LONG BEACH, Calif. and RESTON, Va., Sept. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced that California State University (CSU), the largest four-year public university system in the U.S. educating more than 460,000 students each year, is live with key Ellucian Student Financial Success solutions, Student Forms and Campus Communicator. Spanning all 22 campuses, this system-wide initiative eliminates financial aid barriers, improves operational efficiency and empowers students with the tools and transparency needed to navigate their financial journey and achieve academic success. The CSU joins more than 700 colleges and universities nationwide leveraging Ellucian Student Financial Success solutions.

"Findings from Ellucian's student survey last year emphasize the critical role financial stability plays in student success," said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. "With 59% of students reporting financial stress as a reason they considered leaving college and only 21% confident in understanding their financial aid offers, there's a clear need to reimagine financial aid delivery. The CSU's implementation of Student Forms and Campus Communicator reflects their strong commitment to a more accessible and student-centered college experience."

Powered by AI, Student Forms simplifies financial aid workflows, automating processes like managing professional judgements, satisfactory academic progress appeals, verification, FAFSA renewals and more. It reduces administrative complexity for staff and offers students a mobile-friendly, guided experience for completing financial aid tasks. Campus Communicator enhances cost transparency by delivering personalized, clear financial aid communications like offer letters via email and SMS, ensuring students have actionable insights to make informed decisions about their education. Together, these solutions align with the CSU's goals to close opportunity gaps and support enrollment growth.

"At the CSU, ensuring our students have the financial support and clarity they need is central to our mission of student success," said Noelia Gonzalez, systemwide director of Financial Aid Programs in the California State University Office of the Chancellor. "Ellucian's Student Forms and Campus Communicator tools helped to streamline financial aid processing and deliver significant benefits for students and staff during a pilot phase with 11 campuses. As a result, the CSU is now offering these innovative solutions across all campuses. This systemwide implementation represents a transformative step toward breaking down financial and administrative barriers, expanding opportunity, and ensuring that higher education remains accessible for California's diverse student population."

Learn more about Ellucian Student Financial Success solutions here: https://www.ellucian.com/solutions/student-financial-success

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The California State University is the nation's largest four-year public university system, providing transformational opportunities for upward mobility to more than 460,000 students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. More than half of CSU students are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and more than one-quarter of undergraduates are first-generation college students. Because the CSU's 22 universities* provide a high-quality education at an incredible value, they are rated among the best in the nation for promoting social mobility in national college rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Monthly. The CSU powers California and the nation, sending nearly 125,000 career-ready graduates into the workforce each year. In fact, one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree earned it at the CSU. Connect with and learn more about the CSU in the CSU newsroom.

*Transition to 22 universities in progress (Cal Poly and Cal Maritime integrating)—official fall 2026.

ABOUT ELLUCIAN
Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with more than 2,900 customers across 50 countries, serving 20 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrolment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.

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SOURCE Ellucian