University of York selects software-as-a-service provider for HR and financial systems Working day replace more than 30 HR and finance applications, as well as an additional 27 systems.
In a press statement from Workday, Nigel Alcock, director of finance and operations at the University of York, said: “With critical system deadlines approaching and the complexity of managing multiple HR and finance applications, we needed a partner who could provide a scalable, integrated solution.
“The Workday platform will transform the way we operate, giving us the flexibility and insight we need to effectively serve our students and employees while maintaining our position as a leading research institution.”
The university and vendor said the previous installed HR and financial management applications presented “an outdated and inconsistent user interface, limited self-service and made data-driven decision making difficult.”
In partnership with KPMG UK, the university aims to replace these systems with “one unified platform that integrates HR and financial data, provides real-time insights, streamlines processes and helps reduce costs.”
The provider noted that several other wins among higher education clients are indicative of the momentum in the sector. University of Hull announcedin September 2024 it selected the provider's human capital and financial management systems, again with KPMG as the implementation firm. It was launched in the summer of 2025.
In its announcement, the vendor noted some other higher education clients, Bow Valley College in Canada, as well as those at the University of Melbourne and the University of Auckland.
“Unprecedented Challenges”
Daniel Pellvice president and country manager for Workday UK and Ireland, said: “UK higher education institutions are facing unprecedented challenges, from urgent systems replacement to changing regulatory requirements and student expectations.
“York University joins a growing number of forward-thinking institutions choosing our AI. [artificial intelligence]a powerful platform to replace legacy systems with unified solutions that deliver the real-time analytics and operational efficiencies you need to thrive.”
The vendor said more than 650 educational institutions in 19 countries use its HR and financial management software.
The provider says more than 85 people use Workday Student, supporting more than three million students worldwide at more than 200 institutions. It is said to give students a simple “academic planning and registration experience with built-in communication tools that connect them with advisors and support groups.”
Workday plans to make it available in the UK and Ireland in 2027.
Meanwhile, the University of Manchester recently made a different technology choice by selecting Oracle Fusion Cloud applications for all of its business applications, announcing the move at the end of October 2025.
Manchester said it will use Oracle Human Capital Management software as a service to centralize HR operations on a single platform to gain “better workforce insights and improve the employee experience.”
It also implements Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning and the vendor's Enterprise Performance Management application.
Carol Prokopishin, chief financial officer at the University of Manchester, said: “Our fragmented systems create unnecessary complexity for teaching and administrative staff, making it difficult to gain operational visibility and respond quickly to needs.
“Transferring key business processes to the cloud using Oracle Fusion Applicationswe can give our colleagues access to high-quality data, support them with simpler standard processes and improve their user experience,” she added.
Guy Armstrong, senior vice president of applications for Oracle UK and Ireland, said: “As student needs evolve and operating costs rise, universities need to implement accurate, touchless processes and embedded AI capabilities to increase efficiency and improve decision-making.
“With Oracle Fusion applications, the University of Manchester can increase productivity, enhance understanding and improve people management, continuing to build on its two-hundred-year legacy of excellence in education,” he said.
