Workday Student FAQs

Introduction to Workday

What is Workday Student?

Workday Student is an inclusive and accessible cloud-based system for student lifecycle related operations. The system is equipped with, but not limited to self-service, 24/7 mobile access, student ownership over their own profiles, four-year graduation plans, and effortless visibility into a student’s financial aid package and billing details. To learn more about Workday Student, please visit the Workday Student Core Concepts section of the Learning Hub. 

Why are we transitioning to Workday Student, and what are some of the benefits?

Innovation is one of the top six values of University of Maryland-College Park, and the University’s vision is for every student to thrive. Hence, the homegrown student systems no longer meet the needs of the University and its students. Our ERP systems are beyond their functional life expectancy and are vulnerable to failure. Workday Student will support UMD in engaging in leading practices of technology for student systems. Some of the benefits are as follows:

• Cloud-Based: Workday delivers new releases semiannually to routinely strengthen its product and meet customer needs. With Workday being a cloud-based platform, UMD will easily be able to update its space with new features.
• One System: Human Capital Management, Finance, Adaptive, and Student are different products that live within the same system of Workday. The products have several touchpoints amongst each other, and faculty, students, and staff will be able to complete related actions in one place.
• Student Empowerment: Workday Student will enhance the experience of being a student at UMD with various self-service capabilities in one place. Students will have the ability to own their experience in several capacities–including editing an academic plan, updating their personal and contact information, and staying organized with their finances.

I have heard about software as a service and going to the cloud, but what does that mean?

Software as a service means that the vendor, Workday, is responsible for maintaining the hardware and regularly updating the software. By going to the cloud, we will have more secure access to information from any computer or mobile device, enhanced data security and regulatory compliance, and Workday’s twice per year software updates.

Are there opportunities to better automate some things in Workday that seem more cumbersome than necessary now?

There will be opportunities to automate processes. This will be explored by the Elevate Student program throughout the Architect & Configure phase.

What will the performance of Workday Student be like, especially with an increased number of users?

Workday Student performance will be validated before go‑live through comprehensive performance testing. The Elevate team will conduct testing to ensure the system can support increased user volume, including peak periods such as registration.

Transitioning to Workday

Which systems are going away?

Many homegrown systems, such as SIS and SAR, are being replaced by Workday. This includes SIS, SAR, and the public-facing versions of these systems like Testudo. Some vendor provided solutions such as uAchieve will also be replaced by Workday’s degree audit functionality. To review a comprehensive list of systems that have been identified for retirement, please review the Impacted Systems page. 

When does Workday Student go into effect, and when will campus start using Workday Student?

Unlike HCM/FIN that had one big bang go live event, Workday Student will have a series of five go live events in alignment with the student lifecycle. The first milestone in Summer 2027 will turn on components that support University of Maryland College Park’s academic structure, curriculum management, and admissions. Only central unit staff impacted by these modules will be in the system in Summer 2027.

By our third milestone in Spring of 2028, most of our faculty and students will be in the system as academic advising and registration activities will occur in Workday for the first time.

I have heard that we will be moving from three- to four-digit course numbers. Why are we doing this, and when will this take place?

As our programs have grown, we are approaching the limit on available course numbers. The transition to Workday enables course renumbering and supports the move to four‑digit course numbers, providing greater flexibility as programs and course offerings continue to expand. 
The transition will take place in Fall 2028. In most cases, a trailing zero will be added to existing course numbers (for example, ENGL 101 will become ENGL 1010).

You can find more information about this change is available on the Future Ready Site.

How will course prerequisite enforcement look in Workday Student?

Workday Student includes functionality that automatically checks and enforces course prerequisites during registration. This ensures that students meet all required criteria before they are able to register for a course section.

You can find more information about this change is available on the Future Ready Site.

When will students first register using Workday Student?

Students will first use Workday for registration in Spring of 2028 when registering for the Fall 2028 semester.  

You can find information about Registration in Workday Student on our Elevate website Learning Hub. 

Campus Community Involvement

How do we ensure representation in the design process? 

We have been engaged in discussions with leadership of various units to identify the appropriate subject matter experts and ensure we have a diversity of perspectives represented. 

Who will be involved in the design process?

The Elevate Student team includes Functional Leads, Analysts, and subject matter experts representing schools, colleges, and divisions. Functional Leads report directly to Business Leads ensuring that there is strong alignment between business owners and design decisions. By including subject matter experts across the schools and colleges, the design process also ensures that there is ample opportunity for discussion about different processes, policies, and cultural elements across UMD.

How will students be involved in the design process?

We believe that student voice is critical to the success of the Elevate Student program. We will launch our Student Advisory Committee (involving both undergraduate and graduate students) in Fall of 2025 to obtain feedback regarding key design elements related to managing the student profile – including personal information and contact information, onboarding activities to be launched each semester, and dashboard opportunities to support self-service.

We will also provide regular updates to SGA and GSG throughout the project. Students are also welcome to attend town hall events, subscribe to the Workday Wire newsletter, and be on the lookout for engagement activities to continue to stay up-to-date on Elevate program offerings.

How will faculty be involved in the design process?

A Faculty Advisory Committee is in the process of launching to ensure that faculty feedback is included for design elements that impact the faculty experience – including experiences related to academic advising, prerequisite management, and course and course section management. We are excited to partner with faculty on ensuring that the needs of the UMD campus are met by Workday Student.

How do I learn more about the Elevate Student program?

Please check out the February 2025 Town Hall where we held our Elevate Student Campus Kick-off. During this session we provided an overview of the program and timeline. Keep updated about our past and future Town Halls.

Also, please subscribe to the Workday Wire newsletter to keep up-to-date on project happenings and related learning and engagement opportunities. 

What opportunities will we have to explore Workday Student before go-live and get a sense of how it will work?

Beginning in 2027, the Elevate Student team will host a series of Functional Overview sessions, each focused on a specific topic – such as student onboarding, advising, or registration – within Workday Student.

Functional Overviews will be tailored to specific personas. We will host sessions from staff, faculty, and student perspectives, helping both our team members and the broader community understand how they will engage with Workday. Additional details will be shared as 2027 approaches.

Will students, faculty, and staff be able to test the system?

Yes. In 2027, we will host mock semester testing, inviting students, faculty, and staff to test key system functionality, such as registration activities. Feedback from these sessions will be used to validate system performance and to further enhance training and learning materials.

Learning Workday

How will students learn to use the Workday Student platform?

Students will be engaged through a learning journey that will take place during and after the implementation. The learning journey will consist of opportunities to attend functional overviews providing a first-look at functionality in advance of training activities.

Will I need to be trained to use Workday Student?

Yes, the training experience for faculty and staff will be similar to that of HCM and Finance in Workday. Formal training will become available prior to each go live event for applicable audiences. Additional information about training and related training timelines will be shared in early 2027.

When can I test drive the system?

Just like during our prior Elevate phase, campus community members  will be able to “test drive’’ the system in a Readiness Tenant. Additional information about the Readiness Tenant will be made available in early 2027.

What types of training and support materials will be offered?

Similar to the first phase of the Elevate program, both synchronous and asynchronous training sessions will be offered to the campus community. The Elevate Student Change Management team is continuing to incorporate lessons learned from the first phase as we begin development of training plans and materials. 

How are training materials being designed with accessibility in mind?

Key members of the Elevate Student team who will develop and deliver training materials have completed training provided by UMD’s Digital Accessibility Team. This supports alignment with the university’s accessibility policies and best practices.

As we continue to plan and develop new content, we remain committed to partnering with the Digital Accessibility Team to stay current with updates to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We will also regularly seek feedback to improve the layout, usability, and responsiveness of our training materials, supporting an inclusive experience for all users.

Can I access Workday Student through my mobile device? Will it work the same as on my desktop?

Workday Student is designed for use across devices, including mobile, allowing many users—especially students—to access information and complete certain tasks from a phone or tablet.

That said, not all activities are best suited for a mobile experience. Training and communications will clearly identify which tasks are mobile-friendly and when a desktop is recommended, helping users engage with the system in the most effective way. Additional guidance will be shared as we approach go-live.

This website will grow over time with new information, ideas, and topics, so please continue to revisit! To ask a question or request assistance, please contact elevate@umd.edu.