Top 5 Higher Ed CMS Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Universities and colleges face a unique set of needs compared to other industries: managing large volumes of content across multiple departments, accommodating diverse audiences (prospective students, current students, faculty, alumni), and supporting complex integrations with systems like learning management platforms, CRMs, and event calendars. Add in the pressures of accessibility compliance, mobile optimization, and personalization, and the choice of CMS becomes more than a simple software decision; it’s a strategic investment that shapes the institution’s digital identity.

In recent years, the decision-making process has become even more complex. The market is shifting rapidly, with platforms evolving at different paces, and budgetary pressures influencing technology decisions for institutions. At the same time, stakeholder expectations are higher than ever; students and faculty expect a seamless, modern web experience that matches the speed and usability of the tools they use every day. These pressures can lead institutions to choose platforms that seem attractive in the short term but become costly, inflexible, or outdated within just a few years.

We’re here to help higher ed technology leaders navigate this complexity with clarity. We’ll outline common pitfalls in CMS selection and implementation, share practical evaluation criteria, and equip you with strategies to avoid costly mistakes and ensure your CMS selection can support your institution for the long term.

#1 Lack of Consistency

In higher education, content creation and web management often fall into the hands of multiple departments, each with its own priorities, timelines, and creative vision. While this decentralized approach can foster agility and allow your teams to manage their content, it also opens the door to unnecessary fragmentation that makes your sites look and feel completely different from one another. Plus, it’s more tedious to keep an eye out for outdated branding and a mismatched tone of voice.

This disjointed framework impacts more than aesthetics. When prospective students land on the admissions page, then click to academic programs, and later to financial aid, they may feel like they’ve been transported to three different websites. Inconsistent navigation structures, visual styles, and content formatting erode trust and make it harder for users to find what they need. For a generation accustomed to frictionless digital experiences, this inconsistency can be a deal-breaker.

Addressing this challenge starts with tools and policies that unite the institution’s digital presence.

Addressing this challenge starts with tools and policies that unite the institution’s digital presence.

• Design systems: Establish a central set of design rules, brand assets, and UI patterns to keep visual elements consistent across all sites.

• Governance policies: Define who owns which parts of the site, what standards must be followed, and how content gets reviewed and approved.

• Component libraries: Give content editors pre-built, reusable elements that match the institution’s design system—making it easier to build pages that stay on-brand without needing a designer for every update.

By combining these strategies, higher ed institutions can preserve the flexibility departments need while delivering a cohesive, professional experience for every visitor.

#2 Increased Costs

In higher education, rushing to implement a quick-fix CMS or delaying essential optimizations often leads to greater expenses over time, especially if the platform was not properly integrated across your many departments. What seems cost-effective in the short term can quickly become a drain on budgets when hidden complexities appear.

Underestimating implementation requirements or experiencing scope creep can push projects over budget. Ongoing expenses such as licensing fees, plugin upkeep, and reliance on too many third-party tools can quietly build up and put pressure on already tight resources.

To avoid these problems, it is important to work with technology partners who have a deep and broad understanding of higher education operations. The right partner will assess your unique needs, select the most suitable technology, and implement it in a way that supports both immediate goals and long-term strategy.

With the right approach, your CMS investment can remain sustainable, adaptable, and free from unnecessary budget surprises.

#3 Security and Compliance Risks

In higher education, digital security and regulatory compliance are not optional. A single oversight can compromise sensitive student data, damage institutional reputation, and even result in legal consequences. Accessibility is also critical to ensuring your platform is easy to use for all users, including individuals with disabilities.

Compliance spans multiple areas. Accessibility requirements such as WCAG and ADA ensure that all users can interact with your site. FERPA governs the privacy of student education records. Data privacy regulations continue to expand, adding additional layers of responsibility for institutions that collect and store personal information. When these requirements are not met, the result can be fines, loss of trust, and barriers to enrollment.

Security risks are often amplified by the use of older CMS platforms that lack strong patching and update support. Without regular maintenance and proactive monitoring, these systems can leave vulnerabilities open to exploitation.

To protect your institution, it is important to conduct regular audits, work with platforms that are designed with compliance as a central principle, and maintain a security plan that includes timely updates and vulnerability testing.

Different ways you can strengthen the security and compliance of your website include:

• Schedule proactive audits to identify and address vulnerabilities before they become critical

• Select CMS platforms with compliance-first architectures to reduce risk and simplify ongoing management

By treating security and compliance as ongoing priorities rather than one-time tasks, higher education institutions can safeguard data, meet regulatory obligations, and maintain the trust of students, faculty, and the public.

#4 Lack of Internal Buy-In/Adoption

Even the most advanced web platform cannot deliver its full value without strong adoption across the institution. In higher education, that means gaining the support of a wide range of stakeholders, from department heads and IT teams to faculty members and administrative staff. When adoption is slow or inconsistent, the platform may never be used to its full potential, which reduces the return on investment and limits its impact on the user experience.

Siloed decision-making is a frequent challenge. If key departments are not involved in the selection and implementation process, they may feel disconnected from the project or resist adopting the new system. This can create friction during rollout, extend project timelines, and increase costs as additional training or retroactive adjustments become necessary.

Successful adoption starts with early and active stakeholder engagement. By including representatives from multiple departments in planning discussions, institutions can uncover unique requirements, address concerns, and build a sense of shared ownership. This collaborative approach makes it more likely that the CMS will meet the diverse needs of the institution and be embraced by those who use it most.

Strategies for driving user adoption and improving project results include:

• Hosting workshops to gather feedback and align on goals before and during implementation

• Create cross-functional committees to represent the needs of various departments and guide decision-making

• Provide thorough CMS training so staff and faculty feel confident using the platform from day one

When stakeholders feel heard and equipped to use the new system, the transition is smoother, adoption rates are higher, and the platform becomes a shared asset that supports the institution’s mission.

#5 Flexibility and Scalability Limitations

Choosing a CMS is not just about meeting today’s needs. It is also about preparing for what your institution will require in the years ahead. A platform that feels adequate during launch can quickly become a barrier if it cannot keep pace with evolving digital strategies, new technologies, or shifting user expectations.

In higher education, growth and change are constant. You may need to create new microsites for academic programs, integrate with pre-existing tools, or expand personalization features for prospective students. If your CMS cannot handle these needs without major workarounds or costly custom development, your digital presence can become rigid and difficult to adapt. These limitations can also slow down innovation, as every change requires significant time and technical effort.

The most future-ready CMS platforms provide both flexibility and scalability. This often means supporting modular content structures, strong integration capabilities, and architectures that are designed to work seamlessly with new tools and systems as they emerge.

If you’re looking for a platform that can grow with your institution:

• Look for headless or hybrid CMS options that separate content management from presentation, giving you more freedom to deliver content across multiple channels

• Choose API ready solutions that make it easier to integrate with a wide range of systems and future digital tools

By investing in a platform that can expand and adapt, your institution will be better positioned to respond quickly to new opportunities, technological shifts, and the changing needs of students and faculty.

Example of a Strong Higher Ed CMS and Multi-Site: University of Texas at Austin

We've shared some higher education multi-site examples in the past, so check out more of them in that blog. However, we want to share another one since the more examples, the better. This one, from the University of Texas at Austin, stood out to us. You can tell right off the bat that their CMS and multi-site infrastructure are very organized and tailored for their diverse users.

Their navigation makes it clear as to where students, parents, faculty, and alumni can locate information specific to them.

The university's CTAs are also straight to the point and set up expectations for where you'll end up next by clicking on those buttons. These call-to-actions are also tailored to the specific persona the content is designated for, making it seamless for each user to move through their website and get what they need.

Key Takeaways on CMS Challenges for Higher Ed

Selecting and implementing a CMS in the higher education industry is rarely straightforward. Institutions must balance the needs of diverse stakeholders, manage large and complex content ecosystems, and keep pace with rapid changes in digital strategy and technology. Along the way, challenges such as inconsistent design, underestimated costs, compliance risks, adoption hurdles, and scalability limitations can easily derail a project if they are not addressed early.

The good news is that these challenges are not insurmountable. By recognizing the most common pitfalls in advance, you can build a thoughtful strategy that emphasizes collaboration, long-term planning, and the right balance of flexibility and governance. A proactive approach allows your institution to avoid costly missteps, reduce project delays, and ultimately create a CMS environment that strengthens your digital presence.

Your CMS should be more than just a website management tool. It is a foundation for improving student engagement, empowering faculty and staff, and supporting the institution’s mission for years to come.