What Progress Onderwijsondersteuning does

Progress Onderwijsondersteuning B.V. (Progress) is a Groningen, Netherlands-based SaaS vendor specializing in student information systems and digital election software for higher and further education. Founded in 1989 as a spin-out of the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG), the company has built a vertically focused product suite — anchored by Progress SIS and extended by Progress Verkiezingen — on a .NET, cloud-hosted architecture delivering 99.9%+ uptime. Since January 2022, Progress has operated as part of QSBN (formerly Breens Network), an education-technology group that also includes Educator.

Progress's core product, Progress SIS, manages the full student lifecycle (admissions, enrollment, registration, examinations, progression, and alumni) and natively integrates with Dutch regulated data exchanges including Studielink, OOAPI, and RIO. The system supports approximately 1 million learners across its installed base when combined with QSBN partner Educator. Progress Verkiezingen extends the product portfolio with a digital elections platform used by Dutch educational institutions. The combined installed base includes major Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences such as RUG, TU Delft, Wageningen University, and Nyenrode, plus international customers including the University of Curaçao (migrated to the cloud in 2014).

The company operates a B2B SaaS business model with annual enterprise subscriptions priced individually per institution; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Revenue is concentrated across roughly 16 major education customers, served by a team of 16 employees (13 technical, 3 non-technical). Progress has achieved ISO 9001, 27001, and 27701 certifications (2025), reflecting formalized quality, security, and privacy posture. The firm is privately held, has no disclosed external funding, and is led from its Groningen headquarters.

Name

Progress Onderwijsondersteuning

Legal name

Progress B.V.

Website

https://progressonderwijs.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Progress Onderwijsondersteuning is a Dutch SaaS vendor of student information systems and digital election software, serving roughly 16 higher-education institutions in the Netherlands and Curaçao from its base in Groningen as part of the QSBN group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Administration Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Educational Support Services (611710), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education SIS & Campus Management Systems (EDAFAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance, State Reporting & Education Data Exchange (Ed-Fi/SIF) (EDAFAEAO), Gradebook, Transcripts, Credits & Academic Records Management (EDAFAEAG)

Keywords

• Student information system
• Digital voting software
• Higher education SaaS
• Student lifecycle management
• Educational administration software

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen, Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. SaaS Software Subscription (Progress SIS): Subscription-based Software-as-a-Service model where Progress provides the complete SIS infrastructure, technical management, and application hosting. Customers pay a recurring subscription fee covering access, maintenance, infrastructure, and support. This has been delivered as SaaS since the late 1990s.
2. SaaS Software Subscription (Progress Verkiezingen): Subscription-based voting application delivered as SaaS, supporting digital elections for educational institutions and other organizations.
3. Professional Services and Support: Implementation support, training, functional consultancy, and SLA-based technical support. Progress works with SLAs covering response times, resolution times, continuity plans, user support, backup, and availability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Progress Onderwijsondersteuning develops and delivers SaaS software for Dutch educational institutions, primarily Progress SIS (a Student Information System supporting the full student lifecycle from enrollment to diploma) and Progress Verkiezingen (a digital voting application for institutional elections). Both products are cloud-hosted, integrate with national Dutch education systems such as Studielink and RIO, and are sold as annual subscriptions with SLA-backed support.

Product overview

Progress Onderwijsondersteuning offers two core software-as-a-service (SaaS) products: Progress SIS (Studenten Informatie Systeem) and Progress Verkiezingen. Progress SIS is the primary student information system covering the full student administrative lifecycle from enrollment to graduation, including integration with national systems like Studielink and RIO. Progress Verkiezingen is a separate voting application for organizing digital elections. Both are delivered as SaaS solutions and are part of the broader Breens Network / mijnDigiCampus ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Progress SIS: Studenten Informatie Systeem voor onderwijsinstellingen dat studentenadministratie ondersteunt van inschrijving tot diplomering.
• Progress Verkiezingen

Products and services

• Progress SIS (Studenten Informatie Systeem) Cloud-hosted Student Information System supporting the complete student lifecycle for Dutch educational institutions, from initial enrollment and study planning through progress registration, reporting, and deregistration/diploma. Includes native Studielink integration, OOAPI/RIO data exchange, two-factor authentication, and weekly release cycles.
• Progress Verkiezingen Standalone digital voting SaaS application enabling educational institutions and other organizations to organize digital elections end-to-end: candidate self-nomination with photo and slogan, voter communication, secure online voting with anonymity, accessibility support, and automatic vote tallying. Used for student council, faculty, works council, and university council elections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Progress SIS handles enrollment, study planning, progress tracking, and reporting for institutions managing up to 35,000+ students (RUG) and 25,000+ students (TU Delft)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• QSBN (formerly Breens Network)coreOthersProgress is under the corporate umbrella of QSBN (formerly Breens Network). QSBN is a network of educational IT organizations including Educator and other companies, operating under Breens Software Solutions. Progress has been part of this network since January 2022, with the transition referred to as a 'honderd dagen transitie' (100-day transition). The partnership provides access to shared expertise, resources, and cross-selling opportunities across the Dutch education technology market.
• SURFcoreTechnology or IntegrationSURF is the ICT cooperative for education and research in the Netherlands. Progress collaborates with SURF on the Open Onderwijs API (OOAPI) standard and the SURFeduhub transport mechanism for RIO (Registratie Instellingen en Opleidingen) integration. This partnership was critical for enabling Fontys to become the first HO institution connected to RIO via the OOAPI.
• Stichting StudielinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationStichting Studielink operates the national Studielink platform for student enrollment in Dutch higher education. Progress has a native, adapter-free integration with Studielink, enabling direct data exchange. Stichting Studielink and Progress collaborated on the 'doorlopende betaalgegevens' (continuous payment data) project using an 'agile in the keten' approach.
• DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs)coreTechnology or IntegrationDUO is the executive organization of the Dutch Ministry of Education that manages student financing, institutional registries, and data exchange with educational institutions. Progress exchanges data with DUO/BRON-HO as part of its SIS functionality.
• EducatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducator is another company under the Breens Software Solutions umbrella, alongside Progress. They are collaborating on the Digitale Campus (Digital Campus) concept, combining Progress SIS with Educator's products to create a comprehensive student-centric digital platform supporting 'Leven Lang Ontwikkelen' (Lifelong Learning). Teams share expertise across software development, testing, product ownership, and scrum methodology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Anthony: Anthology (formerly Campus Management) provides enterprise SIS, CRM and student-success platforms for higher education globally. Broad incumbent whose cloud SIS offerings compete with Progress for European HO modernization opportunities.
• Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions: Oracle's higher education SIS offering, deployed at several European universities. A broad incumbent whose enterprise platform competes with Progress for HO institution deals seeking broader ERP modernization.
• PowerSchool: Large K-12-focused education software vendor (Unified Classroom, Enrollment, SIS) with adjacent higher education offerings via Hobsons. Broad incumbent whose scale and product breadth could pressure niche Dutch HO SIS players.
• UNIT4: Dutch-headquartered ERP vendor with a higher education vertical (UNIT4 Student Management). Comparable because it competes for the same Dutch HO ERP/SIS deals as Progress with broader back-office functionality.
• Ellucian: Largest global higher education SIS vendor (Banner, Colleague, PowerCampus). A broad incumbent competitor to Progress for Dutch HO modernization RFPs, though primarily serving North American institutions with growing European presence.
• Workday Student: Workday's cloud-native higher education SIS/ERP module. Increasingly winning European HO deals with its unified HCM+finance+student platform, competing against Progress for modernization cycles at Dutch institutions.
• Tribal Education: UK-headquartered education software provider (iSAMS, Mayflower, Tribal Education). A broad incumbent with established European higher and further education footprint, overlapping with Progress in student information and management functionality.

Others

• SURF: Dutch ICT cooperative for education and research that operates national infrastructure (SURFeduhub, OOAPI standards) and collaborates directly with Progress. Not a direct competitor but a critical ecosystem partner whose standards and infrastructure shape Progress' product strategy.

Direct peers

• Educator: Sister company of Progress under the QSBN (formerly Breens Network) umbrella. Also a Dutch educational software provider; collaborates with Progress on the Digitale Campus concept targeting Lifelong Learning. Comparable because both target the same Dutch HO/MBO customer base with adjacent SIS-adjacent products.
• OSIRIS (Desan/ICTU): OSIRIS is a long-standing Dutch student information system used by multiple Dutch universities. Directly competes with Progress SIS for Dutch HO institution contracts and serves a similar functional scope (enrollment, study progress, exam administration).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/progress-onderwijsondersteuning

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Progress Onderwijsondersteuning