--- title: "Top 5 Educational Institution Websites · Appnovation" url: "https://www.appnovation.com/insights/top-5-educational-institution-websites" description: "Higher-ed web design inspiration: five standout educational institution websites and what other universities can learn from them." --- Article # Top 5 Educational Institution Websites [![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/35cc50c25bf7b7ad179477b8d023dff5a95a0536-68x68.png?w=68&auto=format) Scott Bell Creative Director](/people/scott-bell.md) Aug 24, 2009 3 min read ![Appnovation Blog Default Header](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/9efe1c26d9584ecfb3dfef5a63e698bf4567d305-1440x600.jpg?w=1400&auto=format) On this page ## On this page Recently, I spent time doing some research for a project that consisted of [re-designing a website](/services/drupal-development.md) for an educational institution. I wanted to see what some of the higher profile universities and colleges were doing with their sites, but my findings were that most of them were completely outdated from a design standpoint, and not overly usable. The most common things I found were homepages that were extremely wordy and navigation systems that were far too complex. With tuition prices always on the rise, and the ever-growing importance having a strong online identity, I really feel that an Institution's website should be a priority. Especially since it is often the first thing that people see (from all over the world) when researching their education. With that being said, I did come across a few diamonds in the rough. Here are the top 5 best. The most surprising thing to me is that Harvard, MIT, Yale and other notable institutions didn't make the list...not even close. ## 5) Northern Alberta Institute of Technology [www.nait.ca (opens in new window)](http://www.nait.ca) Hometown bias aside, I really like the cleanliness of this site. The interface is user friendly, and the use of accent colors really gives an otherwise plain color scheme a lot of life. ## 4) University of Notre Dame [www.nd.edu (opens in new window)](http://www.nd.edu) A very bold design that caught my attention right away. The deep blue and pale yellow work together to create a great 'academia' tone. I also love the cover-flow like widget front and center. ## 3) University of Phoenix [www.phoenix.edu (opens in new window)](http://www.phoenix.edu) If this site didn't make the top 5 I would have been worried, as one of its main purposes is for online education. ## 2) Royal Roads University [www.royalroads.ca/ (opens in new window)](http://www.royalroads.ca/) While i'm not overly crazy about the balance of text, specifically in the programs area, this site still caught my eye. It has a great west coast 'cloudy day' color scheme. The header is given nice texture by the campus overlay. This site is elegant and calming. ## 1) University of Chicago [www.uchicago.edu/ (opens in new window)](http://www.uchicago.edu/) The University of Chicago has a wonderful site that is full of life and diversity. I looked through a 'top 100 universities in the world' list and this site was the best, hands down. ## Honorable Mention - Ohio Northern University [www-new.onu.edu/ (opens in new window)](http://www-new.onu.edu/) Because it uses Drupal! Making this top 5 was extremely difficult. Not because there were a tonne of great sites out there, but because there was a lack of them! My next post will have to be a top 10 worst. There are way too many universities and college to ever sift through, so if you know of any sites that could crack this top 5 then please post a comment below! The Website Redesign Project Thinking about a website redesign? Don't miss this!  [![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/35cc50c25bf7b7ad179477b8d023dff5a95a0536-68x68.png?w=68&auto=format) Scott Bell Creative Director · Appnovation](/people/scott-bell.md) ## Keep reading [![What is Sovereign AI](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/a5889abdd5e80376912546622e046e3fbef234b4-2496x1664.png?w=640&auto=format)](/insights/what-is-open-source-sovereign-ai.md) Article · 7 min AI ### [What Is Open Source, Sovereign AI?](/insights/what-is-open-source-sovereign-ai.md) Every company is encouraging more AI, and almost every AI bill is climbing. Sovereign AI is about two kinds of control: over your data and over your costs. Here's why open source sits at its foundation. [Iain MacNeil](/people/iain-macneil.md) Article [![AI-first experience design](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/8bbc2418e87924ef10f36115478a2e10d5bed95e-1584x624.jpg?w=640&auto=format)](/insights/how-build-ai-first-experience-without-throwing-out-everything-youve-already-built.md) Article · 6 min AI Sep 10, 2026 ### [How to Build an AI-First Experience Without Throwing Out Everything You've Already Built](/insights/how-build-ai-first-experience-without-throwing-out-everything-youve-already-built.md) Users now expect a direct answer, not a list of links to click through. Here's how organizations can layer an AI-First experience onto their existing website or app, in weeks rather than years. [Andrew Douglas](/people/andrew-douglas.md) Article [![What Becomes Possible When AI Can Read All the Data](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ey850001/production/c28ab0bd26753421ee42937e13adc7a7f19b47f0-1296x510.jpg?w=640&auto=format)](/insights/what-becomes-possible-when-ai-can-read-all-data.md) Article · 4 min AI Sep 09, 2026 ### [What Becomes Possible When AI Can Read All the Data](/insights/what-becomes-possible-when-ai-can-read-all-data.md) Most of the world's data has never been analyzed, only sampled. AI changes that. How AI-ready data platforms unlock questions no one could ask before. [Appnovation](/people/appnovation.md) Article ## Get the thinking, *before everyone else.* One considered email a month. New essays, field notes from live engagements, and the occasional strong opinion. No noise.