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Education LearningTop 10 Best Student Success And Retention Software of 2026
Ranked roundup of student success and retention software for higher ed, comparing Mainstay, Aviso Retention, Stellic, and others by fit.
How we ranked these tools
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Framework: Features 40% · Ease 30% · Value 30%
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Mainstay is the best fit for retention teams that need cohort workflows with AI messaging and tracked outreach, while EAB Navigate360 works better for higher-ed groups that want predictive risk plus advising case management and retention analytics connected to intervention outcomes.
Editor’s top 3 picks
Three quick recommendations before you dive into the full comparison below — each one leads on a different dimension.
Mainstay
Case assignment automation that links cohort membership to ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status in one workflow.
Best for: Fits when retention teams need cohort workflows that drive assigned advising and tracked outreach.
Aviso Retention
Editor pickCase management workflow supports structured outreach, closure states, and outcome capture tied to student records.
Best for: Fits when advising teams need documented retention interventions tied to cohort reporting.
Stellic
Editor pickAdvising case workflows that turn student risk and progress signals into timed, assigned action plans.
Best for: Fits when advising teams need cohort-based case management with automation and audit trails for retention work.
Comparison Table
Mainstay
vertical specialistStudent success communication platform with AI messaging for enrollment, persistence, and support outreach.
Case assignment automation that links cohort membership to ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status in one workflow.
Mainstay’s core workflow model centers on cohort enrollment, risk flag ingestion, and case assignment so student success teams can move from identification to action in one process. The system keeps an auditable student communication record linked to outreach activity and case status. Integration depth is oriented around advising and analytics workflows, including LMS grade signals, SIS identity and term data, and student communication logging.
A tradeoff is that Mainstay’s automation quality depends on mapping your internal advising process to its configuration objects such as triggers, roles, and case lifecycles. For campuses running multiple advising teams, Mainstay works best when governance rules define ownership boundaries and outreach guardrails by cohort or program. It is also a strong fit when retention reporting needs to reflect the exact cohorts and actions taken, not only risk scores.
- +Cohort-based case workflows connect risk identification to assigned advising actions
- +Student communication record ties outreach history to case status
- +Automation triggers reduce manual follow-up across advising teams
- +Configurable ownership rules support multi-team governance
- –Workflow configuration requires careful mapping of team processes
- –Advanced reporting depends on the quality of upstream data integration
- –Complex degree pathway and scheduling workflows may need extra implementation effort
- –Outreach templates can feel rigid without structured content governance
Student success operations teams
Assign advising cases by risk cohort
Lower response time to flags
Advising directors
Track communication and case outcomes
Clear visibility into advisor activity
Show 2 more scenarios
Retention analysts
Measure persistence by cohort actions
Better attribution to outreach efforts
Cohort definitions and case activity combine to support term-to-term retention reporting tied to interventions.
LMS and SIS integration owners
Move progress signals into interventions
Fewer stale or manual data steps
Data feeds pull course signals and term context to keep risk flags and case triggers current.
Best for: Fits when retention teams need cohort workflows that drive assigned advising and tracked outreach.
Aviso Retention
vertical specialistRetention platform that combines predictive analytics, early alerts, and case management for student support teams.
Case management workflow supports structured outreach, closure states, and outcome capture tied to student records.
Aviso Retention fits teams running an advising and retention operation where risk signals must translate into documented actions. Cohort tracking supports term-level retention cohort analysis so interventions can be compared across intake groups. Advising case management keeps outreach, appointment notes, and closure states in one record so staff reduce duplicate work and handoffs.
A key tradeoff is that deeper workflow automation depends on clean data feeds and consistent staff use of the case records. Aviso Retention works best when a retention lead defines outreach rules early in the term and then uses the system to standardize follow-up and reporting.
- +Advising case management ties outreach and outcomes to one student record
- +Cohort tracking supports term comparisons for persistence reporting
- +Automation helps standardize retention workflows across staff and terms
- +API and integration options support system-to-system data movement
- –Workflow automation requires disciplined data inputs and consistent case usage
- –Role-based visibility for day-to-day staff can feel limited without setup work
- –Some configuration decisions affect how teams structure outreach categories
- –Analytics usefulness depends on selecting the right cohort and intervention definitions
Retention operations leads
Standardize outreach and measure follow-up
Cleaner persistence reporting
Academic advising teams
Document advising actions and handoffs
Lower duplicate effort
Show 2 more scenarios
Institutional researchers
Analyze outcomes by cohort
Faster term analysis
Cohort tracking connects interventions to persistence metrics for group-level comparisons.
Enrollment and student success staff
Route at-risk students to supports
More consistent response
Teams use automated workflow steps to assign follow-up actions based on defined rules.
Best for: Fits when advising teams need documented retention interventions tied to cohort reporting.
Stellic
vertical specialistAcademic planning and student success platform for degree mapping, advising, and progress visibility.
Advising case workflows that turn student risk and progress signals into timed, assigned action plans.
Stellic is built for student success teams that manage work in recurring cycles, where advisors need both risk visibility and a queue of next actions. The system connects SIS and LMS signals into retention analytics, then converts those signals into case workflows with assignments and deadlines. Administration centers on controlling which users can view or act on specific student groups, plus audit trails that track changes to case data and student activity.
A tradeoff is that workflow depth and automation rules require careful upfront configuration to avoid noisy task volumes for advisors. Stellic works best when a campus already runs structured advising processes and wants students routed into consistent case plans tied to term milestones.
- +Workflow-driven advising cases convert risk signals into assigned next actions
- +Cohort tracking supports term-to-term persistence analysis for retention planning
- +Integration surface supports ongoing updates from SIS and LMS grade sources
- +Audit trails track changes to student cases and communication activities
- –Automation rules need governance to prevent advisor overload
- –Complex advising workflows may require iterative configuration across terms
Academic advising teams
Manage case assignments for at-risk students
Consistent follow-up and fewer missed tasks
Student success analytics teams
Run retention cohort reviews each term
Clear priorities for retention initiatives
Show 1 more scenario
Retention operations
Coordinate outreach and case updates
Better visibility into outreach effectiveness
Automation links communication records to case status so outreach is tracked as part of the workflow.
Best for: Fits when advising teams need cohort-based case management with automation and audit trails for retention work.
EAB Navigate360
enterpriseStudent success platform for advising, early alerts, case management, and retention workflows in higher education.
Navigate360’s intervention-to-outcome tracking ties advising actions to term-over-term persistence measures for specific student cohorts.
EAB Navigate360 is an EAB student success and retention system that centers on early intervention workflows tied to institutional student lifecycle events. It combines predictive student risk signals, case-based advising actions, and term-to-term persistence reporting so teams can track outreach through outcomes.
- +Case management built around advising interventions and follow-up history
- +Predictive risk scoring with institution-tuned rules for at-risk identification
- +Retention cohort analysis tied to intervention status across terms
- +API and automation hooks support integration with SIS and downstream workflows
- –Operational effectiveness depends on clean SIS identity mapping and data completeness
- –Workflow design requires governance discipline to keep thresholds and assignments consistent
- –Reporting depth can require analyst support for complex cohort comparisons
- –LMS and gradebook coverage varies by integration approach and configuration
Best for: Fits when higher-ed teams want predictive risk, advising case workflows, and retention analytics connected to intervention outcomes.
Anthology Student
enterpriseSIS and student lifecycle platform with retention, engagement, and support capabilities for higher education.
Student success work queues and case timelines that record outreach, tasks, and advising actions in one threaded view.
Anthology Student runs student success workflows that track concerns, coordinate advising actions, and document follow-through across terms. It supports cohort tracking, advising case management, and early alert style routing to keep interventions tied to an individual student record.
- +Advising case management keeps interventions and outcomes linked per student
- –Workflow configuration depth can slow rollout for small advising teams
Best for: Fits when advising offices need case-managed interventions with tight documentation across terms.
Civitas Learning
enterpriseStudent success analytics and workflow platform focused on retention, persistence, and degree completion.
Cohort-level retention analytics that translate predicted risk into standardized advising case workflows with communication history.
Civitas Learning is a student success and retention system aimed at higher education teams that need consistent risk identification and advisor-facing workflows across terms. Core capabilities include predictive risk scoring, retention cohort tracking, and advising case management with documented pathways into student outreach.
- +Predictive risk scoring tied to actionable advising workflows
- +Retention cohort tracking supports term-over-term persistence analysis
- +SIS and LMS integrations feed advising case records and outcomes
- +Configurable intervention campaigns with student communication history
- –Operational setup requires governance for role assignment and data stewardship
- –More workflow customization than quick-start for small advising teams
- –Higher quality results depend on clean enrollment and outcomes data feeds
- –Reporting depth can require analyst support to translate insights into action
Best for: Fits when student success teams need predictive risk and cohort tracking tied to advising case management workflows.
Element451
enterpriseAI-enabled student engagement platform that supports enrollment, communication, and student success journeys.
Advising workflow automation that links outreach and case actions to configurable student state and routing rules.
Element451 is a student success and retention solution built around advising and communication workflows rather than only dashboards. It supports student risk and case management processes with automated outreach steps, cohort views, and action tracking for retention teams.
- +Workflow-first advising case management with routing and task ownership
- +Automated outreach steps tied to student state and case actions
- +Cohort and retention reporting grounded in term-level student records
- +Integration approach keeps advising context aligned with upstream systems
- –Complex workflow rules can slow initial rollout without disciplined governance
- –Automation design depends on clean upstream data feeds for reliable triggers
- –Some retention analyses require more configuration than simple report selection
- –Admin setup for permissions and templates can add overhead for small teams
Best for: Fits when student success teams need end-to-end advising workflows with controlled automation and coordinated reporting.
Mentor Collective
vertical specialistMentoring platform for higher education that supports belonging, persistence, and student retention initiatives.
Mentor assignment and outreach workflows that store interaction history directly inside advising case records.
Mentor Collective is a student success and retention product built around mentor-driven outreach, case notes, and assignment workflows. It focuses on cohort tracking and advising case management tied to mentorship activities, then turns those interactions into retention visibility.
- +Mentor-led outreach workflows map to real student interactions
- +Cohort tracking stays connected to advising case notes
- +Configurable program rules reduce manual tracking work
- +Role-based access limits who can view and edit student records
- –SIS and LMS integrations are less central than workflow management
- –Predictive risk scoring capability is not the product’s core differentiator
- –Automation depth depends on configuration rather than broad rule engines
- –Reporting covers engagement and outcomes, with limited advanced retention modeling
Best for: Fits when mentorship programs need structured outreach, case tracking, and cohort reporting without heavy SIS automation.
ConexED
vertical specialistVirtual student services and retention platform that supports advising, counseling, tutoring, and case management.
Case-level intervention tracking that keeps outreach, advising actions, and outcomes in one activity timeline.
ConexED automates student success workflows by centralizing early alerts, advising actions, and follow-through tracking for retention outcomes. The system connects to institutional systems to reduce manual case creation for GPA-based risk flags, appointment follow-ups, and term-to-term persistence monitoring.
- +Advising case tracking links each intervention to an accountable next step
- +Early alert intake and triage reduce manual routing of at-risk referrals
- +Cohort reporting ties interventions to term-to-term persistence metrics
- +Student communication history supports consistent outreach governance
- –Complex workflows require careful configuration and role alignment
- –LMS-gradebook and SIS dependencies may limit usefulness without clean feeds
- –Predictive scoring coverage can feel narrower than EAB-style models
- –Advanced custom dashboards require more admin effort than standard reporting
Best for: Fits when retention teams need workflow automation tied to advising actions and cohort persistence reporting.
Student Success by Watermark
enterpriseStudent success software for advising, alerts, documentation, and intervention tracking in higher education.
Watermark advising case management links staff actions to student records for documented persistence and follow-up tracking.
Student Success by Watermark targets higher education teams that manage advising workflows, retention metrics, and student support actions in one operational view. It combines advising case management with early alerts style monitoring and configurable student success reporting for term-to-term tracking.
- +Advising case management aligns actions to individual student records
- +Retention reporting supports cohort-style term-to-term monitoring workflows
- +Configurable success processes reduce manual tracking across student support teams
- +Activity histories support documenting advising work for oversight needs
- –Workflow depth can require careful configuration for consistent team use
- –Meaningful risk dashboards depend on reliable upstream data feeds
- –Cross-system reporting quality varies with LMS and SIS integration coverage
- –Automation triggers can be harder to tune than simple early alert rules
Best for: Fits when advising and student support teams need case-based workflows tied to retention reporting.
Conclusion
After evaluating 10 student success and retention software, Mainstay stands out as our overall top pick — it scored highest across our combined criteria of features, ease of use, and value, which is why it sits at #1 in the rankings above.
Use the comparison table and detailed reviews above to validate the fit against your own requirements before committing to a tool.
How to Choose the Right Student Success And Retention Software
Student success and retention software is typically judged by how tightly it connects early risk identification to advising case actions and measurable persistence outcomes. This guide covers Mainstay, Aviso Retention, Element451, Ellucian CRM Recruit, and Modern Campus Communicate, plus the remaining contenders evaluated for cohort-driven workflows and follow-through tracking.
After the individual tool reviews, the next sections frame how institutions should compare integration depth, automation and API surface, and governance controls like role-based visibility and audit logging patterns. The emphasis stays on whether each platform can maintain consistent cohort membership and intervention records across terms, not just whether it reports retention metrics.
Student Success And Retention Software that turns risk signals into governed advising interventions
Student success and retention software manages risk signals, advising workflows, and intervention outcomes in a way that supports term-to-term persistence analysis. The strongest implementations connect a student’s risk status to assigned outreach, case ownership, closure states, and documented follow-up actions.
Mainstay focuses on case assignment automation that links cohort membership to ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status in one workflow. Element451 differentiates through workflow-first advising automation that ties outreach steps and case actions to configurable student state and routing rules, which drives end-to-end retention operations when governance is maintained.
Integration depth, automation governance, and intervention-to-outcome tracking
Retention programs succeed when risk identification flows directly into assigned advising actions and documented follow-up instead of ending at a dashboard. These systems need to keep cohort membership consistent across terms so intervention records support term-to-term persistence analysis.
The most operationally effective platforms connect intervention inputs to case ownership, closure states, and outcomes on a student record. Mainstay leads with case assignment automation that links cohort membership to ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status in one workflow, which reduces the gap between risk flags and executed outreach.
Cohort-driven case workflows with ownership and closure states
Mainstay connects cohort membership to case assignment automation, outreach logging, and lifecycle status in one workflow. Aviso Retention provides advising case management with structured outreach, closure states, and outcome capture tied to the student record.
Intervention-to-outcome reporting tied to advising actions
EAB Navigate360 ties intervention-to-outcome tracking to term-over-term persistence measures for specific student cohorts. Civitas Learning connects predictive risk scoring to actionable advising workflows and retention cohort tracking that supports persistence analysis.
Workflow-first routing rules tied to configurable student state
Element451 uses workflow-first advising automation that links outreach steps and case actions to configurable student state and routing rules. Stellic converts risk and progress signals into timed, assigned action plans inside advising case workflows with audit trails.
Predictive risk scoring with institution-tuned thresholds
EAB Navigate360 includes predictive risk scoring with institution-tuned rules for at-risk identification. Civitas Learning provides predictive risk scoring that translates into standardized advising case workflows with communication history.
Audit trail and governed automation to prevent advisor overload
Stellic emphasizes advising case workflows with automation and audit trails for retention work. Mainstay requires careful workflow mapping because case assignment automation depends on correct team-process alignment.
Choose based on how risk becomes governed actions across terms
The selection decision should match how the institution wants risk signals to become assigned work and measurable outcomes. The core differentiator is how each platform keeps cohort membership, case usage, and intervention history consistent across terms.
Institutions also need to decide how much governance is feasible for workflow rules and data stewardship. Some platforms succeed only when teams maintain disciplined case usage and clean identity mapping in SIS inputs, which directly affects threshold behavior, routing, and reporting integrity.
Map the workflow from risk identification to assigned ownership
If the institution needs cohort membership to drive assigned advising work with outreach logging and lifecycle status, prioritize Mainstay case assignment automation. If advising teams need documented retention interventions with structured outreach and closure states on one student record, prioritize Aviso Retention advising case management.
Select the intervention-to-outcome reporting model that fits retention operations
If retention leadership must connect advising interventions to term-over-term persistence measures by cohort, prioritize EAB Navigate360. If the institution wants predicted risk tied directly into retention cohort tracking that supports persistence analysis, prioritize Civitas Learning.
Decide how workflow automation should be designed and governed
If the operating model depends on configurable student state and routing rules that drive end-to-end advising workflows, prioritize Element451 workflow-first automation. If the program needs timed, assigned action plans converted from risk and progress signals with audit trails, prioritize Stellic.
Check operational readiness for SIS identity mapping and data completeness
If the institution cannot ensure SIS identity mapping and data completeness, EAB Navigate360’s operational effectiveness will suffer because its effectiveness depends on clean SIS identity mapping. If the team can enforce consistent case usage and data stewardship, Aviso Retention and Civitas Learning can support term comparisons and standardized advising outcomes.
Validate whether workflow complexity matches team capacity
If small advising teams need quick rollout, Anthology Student can slow rollout because workflow configuration depth can be heavy for smaller teams. If automation rules can be governed to prevent advisor overload, Stellic’s complex workflows can still work by converting signals into assigned actions with audit trails.
Who benefits most from cohort-driven retention workflows
Cohort-based student success programs benefit when risk identification becomes governed advising actions with documented outcomes for persistence analysis. The right fit depends on whether retention relies on case ownership routing, intervention follow-up capture, or predictive thresholds connected to standardized workflows.
Teams focused on maintaining consistent cohort membership and intervention history across terms should prioritize tools that link outreach and closure states to student records. Mainstay fits retention teams that need cohort workflows driving assigned advising and tracked outreach, while Mentor Collective fits mentorship programs that store mentor interactions directly inside advising case records.
Retention teams running cohort workflows across multiple advising units
Mainstay connects cohort membership to assigned case ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status so leadership can audit intervention follow-through across teams.
Advising offices that need structured outreach documentation with outcome capture
Aviso Retention ties advising case management to outreach closure states and outcome capture on a single student record so documented interventions match persistence reporting.
Institutions that require intervention-to-persistence linkage for student cohorts
EAB Navigate360 ties intervention tracking to term-over-term persistence measures and uses predictive risk scoring with institution-tuned rules for at-risk identification.
Programs that manage advising actions through timed task plans with audit trails
Stellic turns risk and progress signals into timed, assigned action plans inside advising case workflows with audit trails for retention work.
Mentorship programs focused on interaction history inside advising records
Mentor Collective emphasizes mentor assignment and outreach workflows that store interaction history inside advising case records with cohort tracking connected to case notes.
Common implementation mistakes that break retention reporting integrity
Student success reporting fails when cohort membership and intervention records drift across terms or when teams do not use the workflow consistently. Many retention tools depend on clean SIS inputs and disciplined governance of workflow rules and case usage patterns.
The most visible symptom is persistence reporting that cannot be trusted because intervention histories are incomplete, case ownership is inconsistent, or risk thresholds do not stay aligned with the institution’s identity mapping and data completeness needs.
Treating dashboards as a substitute for governed advising actions
Mainstay and Element451 link risk signals to assigned outreach and case actions, so retention leaders should avoid implementing risk views without workflow-driven ownership and closure states.
Allowing workflow automation to run without governance discipline
Stellic requires governance for automation rules to prevent advisor overload, and EAB Navigate360 requires governance discipline to keep thresholds and assignments consistent.
Running intervention reporting with inconsistent case usage
Aviso Retention’s workflow automation depends on disciplined data inputs and consistent case usage, and Anthology Student’s workflow depth can slow rollout if teams cannot sustain consistent configuration and execution.
Ignoring upstream data quality and identity mapping requirements
EAB Navigate360 operational effectiveness depends on clean SIS identity mapping and data completeness, and Element451 automation design depends on clean upstream data feeds for reliable triggers.
Overloading rollout with workflow complexity when team capacity is limited
Anthology Student’s workflow configuration depth can slow rollout for small advising teams, and ConexED’s complex workflows require careful configuration and role alignment.
How We Selected and Ranked These Tools
We evaluated each platform on workflow alignment from risk identification to advising case actions and documented follow-up outcomes, because cohort-driven retention depends on executed interventions. Features accounted for 40% of the score, ease accounted for 30%, and value accounted for 30%. Mainstay earned the highest placement because case assignment automation links cohort membership to ownership, outreach logging, and lifecycle status inside one workflow, which directly supports consistent intervention records for persistence analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions About Student Success And Retention Software
How do Modern Campus Communicate, Ellucian CRM Recruit, and Element451 differ in what they store as the system of record for retention work?
Which tool supports case assignment automation tied to cohort membership and outreach logging in one workflow?
How do integrations and APIs affect LMS gradebook or SIS banner signal freshness in student success analytics?
When does SSO and user provisioning matter for student success teams using advising cases and outreach workflows?
What breaks if student data migration does not map the retention data model and student identifiers correctly?
Where does early alert case handling fall short for teams that require timed, assigned action plans with audit trails?
Which tool ties intervention actions to term-over-term persistence outcomes for specific cohorts?
How do teams prevent duplicated outreach when multiple workflows write to the same student communication history?
What technical governance is needed to keep retention rules consistent across terms when automation and configuration change?
Tools reviewed
Primary sources checked during evaluation.
Referenced in the comparison table and product reviews above.
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