Case Study: Zayed University achieves improved efficiency and student success with Ellucian Degree Works

Zayed University implements Ellucian Degree Works™ to increase efficiency and improve the student experience

Zayed University, a leading higher education institution in the UAE with about 9,500 students, faced an inefficient paper‑based degree audit process that involved faculty, administrators and the registrar, lacked historical tracking for exceptions, and hampered student success advising. To modernize audits and student planning, Zayed University turned to Ellucian, building on its existing Banner by Ellucian deployment and selecting Ellucian Degree Works to replace paper workflows.

Ellucian implemented Degree Works with a cross‑functional campus team, soft roll‑out and targeted training, meeting its implementation goal within eight months and going fully live in month nine. The solution integrates with Banner and the university portal, provides nightly updates, "what‑if" and "look‑ahead" audits, and is used for official graduation analysis—delivering hundreds of manpower hours saved, campus‑wide efficiency gains, improved advising and student planning, and a measurable reduction in academic dismissals.

Zayed University

Roslyn Trezevant Haley

Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Student Academic Success