Kuali
Kuali is a private vertical SaaS company that builds modular, cloud-native software exclusively for higher education institutions, spanning research administration, academic operations, workflow automation, degree audit, financial management, and student engagement, sold via direct enterprise subscription contracts to hundreds of universities and colleges.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersLehi, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Kuali does
Kuali, Inc. is a private, US-based vertical SaaS company that builds cloud-native software exclusively for higher education institutions. Headquartered in Lehi, Utah with 51-100 employees, the company has served the higher education market for more than 20 years and reports a customer base spanning hundreds of institutions across the US, Canada, and Mexico, including R1 research universities (Cornell, Ohio State, ASU, University of Toronto), state systems (CSU, UConn), and mid-market colleges (Gettysburg, Davidson, King's University).
The platform is organized as a modular suite spanning research administration and compliance (Kuali Research and its Sponsored Programs, Conflict Management, Export Control, Human Ethics Review, Animal Ethics Review, Biosafety Review sub-modules plus the AI-powered GrantRisk), academic operations (Academic Ops with curriculum, catalog, syllabus, and scheduling via the Ad Astra partnership), workflow automation (Kuali Build, a no-code forms and workflow tool), degree audit (Kuali Advisor), business continuity planning (Kuali Ready), student information systems (Kuali Student/Focal SIS), financial management (Kuali Financials), and the recently acquired Penji student engagement platform (rebranding as Kuali Reach). Kuali Bridge, launched in 2025, provides visual drag-and-drop ETL integration across SIS, LMS, HRIS, data warehouses, and AI platforms (ChatGPT, Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI). The stack is multi-tenant cloud with REST APIs and maintains SOC 2 Type II, HECVAT, TX-RAMP, WCAG 2.2 AA, FERPA, and HIPAA compliance postures.
Kuali operates on a subscription SaaS revenue model with annual, quote-based pricing per institutional customer; the modular architecture supports both individual product and bundled purchases. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting CIOs, registrars, and research administrators, supplemented by the annual Kuali Days user conference and a Kuali Community peer network. The company has raised approximately $25M+ in disclosed funding, most recently a strategic investment from Banneker Partners in July 2025, and executed the Penji acquisition in June 2026 to extend into student success.
Kuali firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kuali
- Legal name
- Kuali, Inc.
- Website
- https://kuali.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kuali is a private vertical SaaS company that builds modular, cloud-native software exclusively for higher education institutions, spanning research administration, academic operations, workflow automation, degree audit, financial management, and student engagement, sold via direct enterprise subscription contracts to hundreds of universities and colleges.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kuali industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Higher Education SIS & Campus Management Systems (EDAFAEAB)
Keywords
Where Kuali is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lehi
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kuali business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription-based SaaS Licensing: Kuali operates on a subscription/SaaS model where higher education institutions pay recurring fees to access its cloud-based software suite. The modular nature of the platform allows institutions to purchase individual products or bundles, with pricing varying based on institution size and selected products. The company has been creating innovative solutions for higher education for more than 20 years, indicating a mature, sustainable subscription revenue model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise multi-product suite with modular pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Kuali product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kuali creates modular, cloud-based software exclusively for higher education institutions, offering a suite of solutions that includes no-code workflow automation (Kuali Build), research administration and compliance (Kuali Research), academic operations covering curriculum, catalog, and syllabus management, financial management (Kuali Financials), student information system (Kuali Student/Focal SIS), real-time degree auditing (Kuali Advisor), and business continuity planning (Kuali Ready). The platform is supported by Kuali Bridge for visual drag-and-drop integrations with campus systems and AI platforms, and the recently acquired Kuali Reach (formerly Penji) for student engagement and support services.
Product overview
Kuali is a platform-plus-modules software suite for higher education, offering cloud-based solutions across research administration, academic operations, workflow automation, financial management, student information, and business continuity. The core platform includes Kuali Build (no-code forms/workflow automation), Kuali Research (research administration & compliance suite), Kuali Academic Ops (curriculum/catalog/syllabus management with 2025 scheduling addition via Ad Astra), Kuali Financials (financial management), Kuali Student/Focal SIS (student information system), Kuali Advisor (degree auditing), and Kuali Ready (business continuity planning). Additional platform capabilities include Kuali Bridge (drag-and-drop ETL integration tool) and the acquired Penji student engagement platform (becoming Kuali Reach). The Kuali Research suite includes sub-modules for Sponsored Programs, Conflict Management, Export Control, Human Ethics Review, Animal Ethics Review, Biosafety Review, Internal Opportunities, and GrantRisk (AI-powered risk analysis). The Academic Ops suite includes Curriculum Management, Academic Catalog, and Syllabus Management. Build is available for Registrars, Research, Finance, and general departmental use. Kuali has been creating innovative solutions exclusively for higher ed for more than 20 years, with hundreds of institutional customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kuali Reach: Student engagement and support platform (formerly Penji) - helping institutions connect students with advising, tutoring, coaching, appointments, events, and support services.
- Kuali Build
- Kuali Research
- Kuali Academic Ops
- Kuali Financials
- Kuali Ready
- Kuali Advisor
- Kuali Student (Focal SIS)
- Kuali Bridge
- Kuali GrantRisk
Products and services
- Kuali Build Cloud-native, no-code forms and workflow automation platform designed specifically for higher education institutions, enabling non-technical staff to create custom forms, automate approval workflows, and integrate with campus systems (SIS, LMS, HRIS) via REST APIs. Includes FERPA/HIPAA compliance tools and reporting dashboards.
- Kuali Research Enterprise research administration and compliance suite for higher education institutions, covering sponsored programs, conflict of interest management, export control, human/animal ethics review, biosafety review, and internal funding opportunities.
- Kuali Academic Operations (Academic Ops) Integrated curriculum, catalog, syllabus, and academic scheduling management solution for higher education academic leaders, including scheduling capabilities built with Ad Astra partnership technology.
- Kuali Financials Cloud-based financial management solution tailored for higher education institutions to improve financial efficiency, manage budgets, and streamline financial operations.
- Kuali Advisor Real-time degree audit system that handles complex academic requirements, transfer credits, and evolving academic policies, providing students and advisors with clarity on degree progress.
- Kuali Ready Business continuity planning software designed exclusively for higher education institutions to create, maintain, and exercise continuity plans that protect instruction, research, and campus operations during disruptions.
- Kuali Student (Focal SIS) Modern, cloud-based Student Information System designed for flexibility, real-time data, and seamless management of the entire student lifecycle.
- Kuali Bridge Visual, drag-and-drop ETL integration tool that connects Kuali Platform products with campus systems and AI platforms, enabling no-code data movement across SIS, LMS, HRIS, data warehouses, ChatGPT, Azure OpenAI, and Google Vertex AI.
- Kuali Reach (formerly Penji) Student engagement and support platform offering appointment scheduling, communications, advising, tutoring, coaching, and event services through a unified, mobile-first experience.
- Kuali GrantRisk AI-powered risk analysis tool that helps higher education institutions identify at-risk grants and safeguard research funding.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% reduction in training time (4 hours to 2.5 hours)
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use Kuali
Customer profileNamed customers34 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kuali technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability2 records
Feature9 records
Kuali partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Penji (now Kuali Reach)coreAcquisition of Penji, a student engagement and support platform, expanding Kuali's Academic Operations portfolio into student success. The platform helps institutions connect students with advising, tutoring, coaching, appointments, events, and support services. The Penji team has joined Kuali and will continue supporting customers while advancing the platform's vision for student success.
- Ad AstracoreStrategic partnership to launch Kuali Academic Ops, a scheduling tool built with Ad Astra technology. This partnership enhances Kuali's academic operations suite with scheduling capabilities for course and resource planning.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kuali competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ellucian: Largest SIS and higher education technology vendor (Banner, Colleague, Power Campus), serving a similar university customer base with a broad, integrated suite. The most direct head-to-head competitor in core SIS and student lifecycle management.
- Anthology: Higher education technology provider (formerly Campus Management) offering SIS, student success, and enrollment solutions. Directly comparable vertical focus and overlapping institutional customer base, now expanded with Civitas Learning for student engagement.
- Jenzabar: Higher education ERP and SIS vendor serving small-to-mid-sized colleges and universities. Direct competitor in SIS, financials, and student lifecycle with comparable vertical specialization.
Broad incumbents
- Workday: Cloud enterprise software incumbent that has expanded into higher education via Workday Student and Workday for Higher Education. Competes in SIS-adjacent and finance/HR layers with much greater scale and broader functionality.
- Oracle (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions / Oracle Student): Long-standing SIS and campus solutions vendor via PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and the newer Oracle Student Cloud. Competes directly in research administration and student information with broad enterprise scale.
- PowerSchool: Large K-12-focused education software provider that has expanded into higher education through PowerSchool Unified Classroom and Talent. Overlaps in workflow, analytics, and student information, though primarily K-12.
- Instructure (Canvas): Higher ed and K-12 learning platform company behind Canvas LMS. Adjacent rather than direct competitor, but increasingly overlapping into broader student experience and institutional workflows.
- Salesforce (Education Cloud / HEDA): CRM platform with a Higher Education Data Architecture (HEDA) and Education Cloud built for institutions. Competes in student engagement, advising, and recruitment workflows that overlap with Kuali Reach and Kuali Advisor.
Emerging players
- Ad Astra Information Systems: Higher education scheduling, space utilization, and degree planning software provider. Now a technology partner to Kuali (Academic Ops scheduling), but also an adjacent competitor in academic operations and scheduling workflows.
- Modo Labs (Anthology): Student engagement and mobile app platform for higher education institutions. Comparable to the recently acquired Penji/Kuali Reach in appointment scheduling, communications, and student support tooling.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kuali social profiles
Digital presenceKuali compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Kuali financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kuali leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kuali subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kuali funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kuali M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kuali
What does Kuali do?
Kuali creates modular, cloud-based software exclusively for higher education institutions, offering a suite of solutions that includes no-code workflow automation (Kuali Build), research administration and compliance (Kuali Research), academic operations covering curriculum, catalog, and syllabus management, financial management (Kuali Financials), student information system (Kuali Student/Focal SIS), real-time degree auditing (Kuali Advisor), and business continuity planning (Kuali Ready). The platform is supported by Kuali Bridge for visual drag-and-drop integrations with campus systems and AI platforms, and the recently acquired Kuali Reach (formerly Penji) for student engagement and support services.
Is Kuali a public or private company?
Kuali is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Kuali founded?
Kuali was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kuali based?
Kuali is headquartered in Lehi, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kuali make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription-based SaaS Licensing.
Who are Kuali's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ellucian, Anthology and Jenzabar. Broad incumbents are Workday, Oracle (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions / Oracle Student), PowerSchool, Instructure (Canvas) and Salesforce (Education Cloud / HEDA). Emerging players are Ad Astra Information Systems and Modo Labs (Anthology).
Does Kuali have an API?
Yes. Kuali Build provides REST APIs that allow pulling dynamic data into forms and writing data back into systems of record. APIs enable integrations with student information systems, learning management systems, and financial systems. At Gettysburg College, IT can add no-code integrations in as little as five minutes using these APIs.
What industry is Kuali in?
Kuali's product category is Higher Education Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAEAB, Higher Education SIS & Campus Management Systems. Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7372.