Johns Hopkins commences work to replace Student Information System

Johns Hopkins University is working to replace its current student information system, SIS, by the end of the decade.

First launched in March 2003, SIS now serves approximately 30,000 student users and 2,500 administrative users, helping students manage their class registrations, financial aid, academic records, and billing statements. But according to Mark Chisamore, executive director of the Student Services Excellence Initiative (SSEI), as the system continues to age, administrators are becoming more aware of ways it can be improved. For example, the current system silos each of JHU's nine academic divisions, directly contradicting the university's Ten for One framework.

"A new SIS will provide a modern, mobile-friendly user experience, more process automation capabilities, better integrations with other modern systems at JHU, enhanced reporting and analytics, and reduced administrative burden on staff, faculty, and students," Chisamore said. "Replacing our SIS affords us the opportunity to rethink how we support our students with their academic enrollment and financial activities and better support the One University vision at JHU."

SIS's vendor stopped supporting the system in 2014, putting the full administrative burden on JHU's IT Office. In addition to improving the student experience, switching to a modern system with vendor support will allow JHU to outsource maintenance and lower costs, enabling IT to pursue other improvements.

"While the IT@JH team has done a tremendous job maintaining and extending the underlying code, the system faces growing challenges," Executive Vice Provost Stephen Gange said. "[SIS first went live] before the launch of the original iPhone and when Windows XP was the dominant operating system for PCs. ... It's well beyond time to launch a replacement, and we are pleased to begin that effort with the current pre-work phase. As with our other SSEI initiatives, the views and experiences of Johns Hopkins students, faculty, and staff remain a guiding principle in determining the future SIS."

Hopkins recently signed a three-year contract with Chicago-based education consulting firm Beyond Academics, which will help the SSEI project team and university leaders complete a "pre-work" phase that reimagines SIS and the ways it can support the Hopkins community.

"Like the pre-work underway with Sightline for replacing SAP, this work will help us rethink our processes and re-align our policies to reduce unnecessary administrative burden to improve both student and staff experience," Gange said.

This phase will run through Summer 2027, after which a new student information system will be selected and implemented.

In the meantime, JHU will continue to enhance the current SIS, starting with improved tuition calculation, a third-party payer process, and interdivisional registration.

"The SIS project is not just about updating technology—it's about enhancing our ability to serve our students and our staff," said Marc Overcash, vice president and deputy chief information officer for Johns Hopkins University and Medicine. "This project represents a significant step forward in our commitment to academic excellence and operational efficiency at Johns Hopkins."

To ask questions or submit suggestions about the new information system, Hopkins affiliates can email SSEI-Project@jhu.edu.