Case Study: Kent State University achieves faster app delivery and reduced backlog with OutSystems

Kent State Adopts Rapid Application Development Platform to Better Serve Students Faculty and Administrators

Kent State University, one of Ohio’s largest universities, was struggling with a growing IT backlog while trying to deliver mobile access and efficient digital tools for 33,000 students and thousands of staff. With multiple departments and slow, error-prone deployment processes, the university needed a faster way to build and launch apps, so it turned to OutSystems and its low-code platform.

Using OutSystems, Kent State University built a digital factory that delivered 50+ customer-facing apps, including the KSU Mobile App, Manage My Program, and Tech Tools, along with hundreds of reusable components and internal apps. The results included better student experiences, faster iteration, and strong adoption: 84% of users said the mobile app was easy or very easy to use, 80% said information was easy to find, and the IT team gained more predictable timelines, improved resource planning, and far less backlog pressure.

Kent State University

Sameer Jaleel

Director, Platforms & Integration Solutions