Say goodbye to silos with a KPMG digital backpack enabled by Workday Student.
Rapid advances in technology are offering universities an ideal opportunity to improve their student experiences and reshape operations. Even as demographics shift, enrolment patterns evolve and legacy systems strain under modern demands, institutions have a powerful chance to reimagine how they support staff and enable students.
What is Workday Student?
Workday Student, co created with leading universities, is a modern, mobile first, end to end student administration platform that removes silos by unifying academic, financial, Human Capital Management (HCM) and operational processes into a single cloud native, AI fuelled system.
Transform student management with one intelligent digital backpack
When KPMG’s sector knowledge and operating frameworks are enabled by Workday Student Management Software, the university experience can transform. This powerful KPMG + Workday model is represented as a ‘digital backpack’.
- The digital backpack
- Enabling a connected campus
- Digital first, student ready
The digital backpack is a new student engagement and operating model. Workday Student acts as a smart connection hub across enrolment, admissions, progression, student finance and academic records. When paired with KPMG’s assets and methodology , you’ll gain a proven blueprint for transformation, tailored to meet Australian admissions and compliance regulations.
Fragmented systems create friction for students and staff. The digital backpack eliminates silos by integrating HCM and finance with student management software. Let better decision-making, seamless experiences and real-time insights become the norm for your university.
The digital backpack isn’t just about today; it’s about thriving in the age of disruption. AI-driven insights, predictive analytics, dynamic course management and autonomous workflows will redefine how universities engage students and staff and manage operations. With KPMG and Workday, you can lead this change with confidence.
Benefits of a digital backpack for universities
Workday supplies the platform, KPMG makes it work for you.
KPMG helps transform the student operating model by configuring Workday Student’s unifying cloud-based platform against university processes and governance for strengthened consistency, compliance and insight. This digital backpack eliminates duplication and disconnected systems for simpler operations and a more reliable, connected experience for students and staff.
KPMG’s integration experience paired with Workday Student’s modern, mobile-first architecture unifies student management with marketing, finance, HCM and planning. This creates a truly connected university, enabling smoother handovers and stronger collaboration, supported by shared data and real time visibility.
KPMG’s student centric design methods combined with Workday Student’s unified interface delivers a simple, intuitive experience that reduces friction, speeds up processes and improves satisfaction, allowing staff to focus on higher value student support.
Workday Student’s unified data core, configured with KPMG’s data model alignment and governance frameworks provides real time visibility across enrolment, progress, finance and compliance. Leaders can move from reactive reporting to proactive, confident decision making grounded in consistent, current information.
KPMG brings deep student lifecycle knowledge to make Workday Student’s AI and predictive analytics actionable, helping universities anticipate student needs and risks early. This shifts institutions from reactive administration to more proactive interventions, smarter resource planning and stronger outcomes.
Routine administration is automated through Workday Student’s configurable workflows and KPMG’s leading practices and accelerators. The result is improved accuracy, speed and compliance, freeing staff to focus on higher value student support and academic decision-making.
KPMG overlays strong governance and regulatory alignment, particularly for Australian requirements, on Workday Student’s embedded controls and single source of truth. This reduces reliance on manual processes and gives institutions confidence in their compliance position and audit readiness.
Workday’s continuously evolving cloud platform is combined with KPMG’s de risked delivery and transformation approach. Together, the technology can align to long term university strategy and deliver ongoing value through proven methods and leading practices. This is supported by rolling optimisation and roadmap guidance, helping universities evolve Workday Student capabilities as student expectations, regulatory requirements, and institutional strategies change.
Workday Student tech enablers
✔ Single, consistent experience across students, staff and administrators
✔ Mobile first self service for quick, intuitive task completion
✔ Embedded audit trails and regulatory configuration
✔ Unified data core for accurate, real time information
✔ Live dashboards and analytics for enrolment, finance, risk and progression
✔ Built-in controls and security with role based access
✔ Configurable workflows that automate routine tasks and exceptions
✔ AI driven insights to predict demand and identify at risk students
✔ Native Workday integration connecting finance, HCM and student data
✔ Open integration framework for CRM and legacy systems
✔ Cloud native foundation that updates continuously and scales with need
Case studies: How KPMG has helped Australian universities
Awards
KPMG and Workday's joint awards and certifications highlight a dedication to excellence and innovation, reinforcing our focus as trusted partners in driving business transformation.
- A Leader in Forrester WaveTM: Workday Services, Q2 2024
- A Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Finance Transformation Strategy Consulting
- Workday Partner Since 2008
How KPMG + Workday Student can help transform the student experience confidently
KPMG and Workday help universities bring HCM, finance and student operations together into one cloud native, AI ready ecosystem. By combining KPMG’s pre-built models, accelerators and sector experience with Workday Student’s intelligent platform, institutions can transform their student experience at the front and back ends while accessing new efficiencies and reduced risk and costs.
This digital backpack operating model boosts staff productivity, strengthens workforce planning and frees teams to focus on higher value student learning and support. With embedded automation, predictive analytics and a single source of truth across people, finance and performance, universities gain a strong foundation for enterprise-wide uplift.
Our approach to Workday Student includes strong governance, futureproof technical architecture, clear alignment to regulatory requirements and a focus on real operational needs. Seamless integration across Workday Student, CRM, HR and Finance supports a unified, mobile first student journey with better visibility of enrolment, workforce planning, and financial performance.
The result is a compliant and future ready Workday ecosystem that can evolve with change and needs.
Meet the team
- lisa
- Stephen
- martin
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Frequently asked questions
Workday Student is a modern, cloud-based student management platform that unifies admissions, enrolment, academic records, student finance and engagement into one system. It simplifies operations, improves student experience and provides real-time insights across the full student lifecycle.
Universities choose Workday Student because it simplifies decision making by bringing student and ERP functions into one system, instead of relying on separate data lakes, warehouses or reporting tools to connect everything.
Implementation timelines vary by institution size and scope but tend to take 18 to 24 months. Workday’s cloud delivery model and structured deployment approach help institutions accelerate adoption while managing risk and change effectively.
KPMG manages end to end delivery, adapting to client needs and ensuring controlled, well governed progress throughout the implementation journey.
The digital backpack is KPMG’s model for connected, modern student operations. It brings together KPMG’s higher education knowledge and implementation skills with the Workday Student platform to create one unified solution that carries everything a student and staff member needs (such as enrolment, timetables, academic progress and finance) through a seamless, end to end experience.
KPMG helps universities implement Workday Student with confidence, trust and control. We bring deep sector experience, governance, operating model alignment, and proven delivery methods to reduce risk, ensure compliance and connect technology with real outcomes.
KPMG together with Workday can help universities:
- transform HCM, finance and student operations into a unified, AI-ready ecosystem
- unlock efficiencies, reduce risk and cost by using KPMG’s pre-built models and Workday’s cloud native design
- drive people empowerment, productivity, and future ready workforce planning
- embed advanced intelligence, predictive analytics, and automated workflows across the business
- accelerate whole-of-enterprise modernisation with a single source of truth for people, finance and performance.
Let’s talk Workday Student: book a demo
Ready to explore what the digital backpack can do for your institution?
We’re here to help you move forward with confidence. Simply fill out the form and a KPMG specialist will be in touch.