Ready for a website redesign? See how these best college websites and best university websites are maximizing their web pages to reach prospective students.
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- Murray State University
- University of Alabama
- Harper College
- Western Kentucky University
- Stony Brook University
- Pasadena College
- California State University Channel Islands
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Franklin Pierce University
- Juniata College
Don’t go it alone! Contact an OmniUpdate expert to learn more about setting the foundation for a great website.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts: Best Award-Winning Design
From a succinct, on-point message to dynamic videos, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) draws prospective students into their website then provides them with pathways
to their chosen topics.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
UNCSA uses full-screen images that give prospective students insight into what it feels like to attend. And they don’t stop with pictures. A variety of pathways that students can click through lead them to information specific to their desired topic.
UNCSA achieves this by:
- Keeping content simple
- Making content direct
- Ensuring content is easy to follow
These design elements combine to make the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ award-winning website.
Murray State University: Best Easy-Access Calendar
College and university campuses struggle with calendars because there are so many
events—and they are changing all the time. Consequently, many schools resort to using
a boring calendar listing to advertise. Murray State University solved this problem with an easy-access calendar that transforms events into a beautiful tiled page.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
Murray State University’s website calendar entries feature:
- Date
- Title
- Description of the event
- Cost
- Images when available
Upon clicking through to the unique event page, site visitors can choose to add the event to their personal calendar. The best part of Murray State University’s calendar is that it is accessible from the home page.
Website calendars are an effective way for colleges and universities to keep their students aware and involved and to help prospective students imagine what their life would be like on your campus. A good website calendar should integrate with your web content management system (CMS) and allow for multiple contributors. Seek a vendor that offers a CMS and calendar module that work seamlessly together.
University of Alabama: Best Website Hype Video
“Life doesn’t just give out Pulitzers or championships. Greatness takes work, grit,
and perseverance. And this is only the beginning. The University of Alabama… Where Legends Are Made.”
Academics, athletics, relationships, networks… There’s enough inspiration and hype in this 30-second video to send students in droves to the application page.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
The University of Alabama’s hype video has all the common characteristics of videos found on the best university websites, including:
- Compelling voiceovers
- Footage of students actively participating on campus
- A variety of campus activities
- Inspiring music or sound in the background
Looking to create your own hype video? Remember that the best videos appeal to a prospective student’s senses and emotion.
Harper College: Best Interactive Course Catalog
Course descriptions, credit class schedule, student handbook… It’s all found on one
page on Harper College’s website. A click to the course descriptions takes students to a dropdown box for
each area of study. Another click and all classes in the area of study appear with
detailed information about credits and prerequisites.
What makes this one of the best college websites?
Harper College takes it a step further than their current course catalog. Their catalog home page includes:
- “Ask a Question” box
- Well-placed button as a call to action to apply
- Link to older editions of the catalog
- Credit class schedule
As a bonus, a comprehensive navigation bar provides quick links to related areas such as apprenticeship programs, academic divisions, and learning communities.
A good course catalog should integrate with your CMS and allow you to build the infrastructure you need for a dynamic website.
Western Kentucky University: Best Virtual College Tour
These days, students are applying to several colleges—and many are located several
hours away. This makes it essential for university and college websites to have dynamic virtual college tours of their school online.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
The Western Kentucky University website boasts a virtual tour with an interactive map that features:
- Photographs of locations
- Descriptions of locations with links to additional information
- A search box that allows students to search by description, title, or category
Being able to see the layout of campus, interact with a map, and learn the history of campus landmarks helps students see themselves as a fit for your school.
Stony Brook University: Best Page for Attracting Boosters
Stony Brook University recognizes alumni and boosters as an essential audience for their website.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
Stony Brook’s slogan for their alumni and friends page, “Far Beyond Giving,” emphasizes ways beyond donating that alumni and boosters can engage and connect beyond college. This includes:
- A calendar specific to events of interest to alumni and boosters
- Reunion news
- Homecoming information
- Online newsletter
- Perks exclusive to Stony Brook alumni
Stony Brook works hard to include alumni long after they graduate, a strategy that no doubt pays off during capital campaign time.
Pasadena College: Best Easy-to-Use Admissions Page
Even though Pasadena College reviews 40,000+ applications each year, their college admissions process is as easy as 1-2-3, with pathways specific to each student’s journey.
What makes this one of the best college admissions websites?
College admissions websites should ask: What type of student are you? Pasadena College does this by including all student options:
- First Time College Student
- Returning PCC Student
- Concurrent Enrollment
- Previous College Student
- Noncredit Student
- International Student
Additionally, Pasadena College addresses frequent questions right on the page, such as open enrollment, eligibility, and whether there are special programs for the disabled and veterans.
California State University Channel Islands: Best Emergency Messaging
A good web CMS will have an emergency alert module that allows colleges and universities to communicate quickly
and easily with their varied audiences. California State University Channel Islands learned this lesson last year when fires swept through the area.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
California State University Channel Islands’ website emergency alerts system makes it easy to:
- Publish high visibility announcements that can be pushed out to social media platforms
- Post an alert while on the go if necessary due to its mobile-first design
- Manage alerts via a stand-alone mobile interface, meaning someone in campus security doesn’t have to be trained in how to use the full CMS or module
- Create authority levels so you can designate who can post alerts
You won’t appreciate the full value of having an emergency alerts system in place—until you need it.
Morehouse School of Medicine: Best Comprehensive News and Events
Busy students, faculty, and administrators have little time for catching up on college
and university news, so Morehouse School of Medicine designed a page that makes it easy to keep up with events and current news.
What makes this one of the best college websites?
The Morehouse News Center features:
- Current news stories with links
- The Morehouse calendar
- Feeds from social media platforms
- Comprehensive search by topic or date
- An archive of stories
- An image gallery
- Links to school publications
No more hunting for information with the all-in-one News Center at Morehouse.
Franklin Pierce University: Best Messaging Using Hero Image Slider
Rather than choose one story to highlight, Franklin Pierce University maximizes use of the hero image slider by presenting several prominent news stories in a large area at the top of their
home page.
What makes this one of the best university websites?
A hero image slider like the one used by Franklin Pierce University lets you speak to several audiences at once:
- Academics
- Athletics
- Alumni
- Donors
- Prospective Students
- Current Students
- Parents
- Faculty
Choose colorful, appealing images, to-the-point text, and provide a link on each image so the viewer can get more information if desired.
Juniata College: Best Storytelling
Juniata College speaks directly to a prospective student: “Become the Author of Your Own Powerful Story.” Immediately, students are drawn into
the site and encouraged to explore the post-graduate successes of the Class of 2018.
What makes this one of the best college websites?
Juniata College masters the use of storytelling techniques and carries the theme through by:
- Relating to the reader: in this case, prospective students
- Providing stories of recent Juniata graduates
- Engaging prospective students to consider what they can do with a Juniata degree
- Providing a prominent “Apply” button so that students can begin their journey at Juniata
- Using an informal, conversational tone to build intimacy with the reader
The emotional edge of Juniata College’s website depicts a familiar, welcoming campus that prospective students feel a part of even when online.
Conclusion
How does your school’s website compare to these best college websites? If it’s clear that your school’s website needs a refresh or complete redesign, check out these additional resources:
- Successful Website Redesign: Comprehensive Planning and Strategy
- Design with Purpose: Creating a Performance-Driven Website
- Serenity Now: Redesigning a Website in One Year or Less
Or, if you are ready to embark on a redesign project and know that you need a powerful CMS in place, schedule a demo.
