Which CMS Powers the Top US University Websites? A Comprehensive Analysis

As part of our continued effort to collect data on CMS usage in various sectors and regions, here is our latest study based on the QS-ranked university websites in the USA. We analyzed 198 websites from the latest QS rank list and identified their CMS usage.

In our previous study regarding universities worldwide from QS rankings, we found that 80% of the top 100 universities utilize Drupal on at least one of their websites. This study focuses on top universities in the USA, and the results are quite similar.

Universities in the USA have a strong preference for FOSS CMSs. Out of these 198 websites, 131 (66.16%) use FOSS CMSs. Drupal leads with 70 websites, followed by WordPress with 36 websites. We only checked the university home pages and could not detect the CMS for 49 university home pages.

We used the same process to extract the data and detect the CMS as documented in our article : Behind the Scenes: Drupal's Footprint in Top Universities 

CMS Usage in Among Top US Universities

Key Findings

• A majority (66.16%) of universities prefer Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) CMS solutions. Proprietary CMS accounts for only 9.09% of the market.
• Drupal is the most popular CMS, used by 35.35% of the universities. WordPress follows with 18.18% usage.
• When we segment the data by public and private universities, both public (65.89%) and private (66.67%) universities show a strong preference for FOSS CMSs.
• Drupal is the most popular CMS among both public and private universities, with 42 public universities (32.56%) and 28 private universities (40.58%) using it, followed by WordPress, with 22 public universities (17.05%) and 14 private universities (20.29%) choosing this CMS.
• Among the top 100 universities in this list by Tranco rank (indicating high traffic/popularity), Drupal leads with 39%, followed by WordPress at 27%.
• In the case of the top 100 QS-ranked universities in this list, 40.0% use Drupal, and 16% use WordPress.
• For 24.75% of the universities, the CMS could not be identified.
• We detected 12 unique CMSs used by these 198 universities. 

FOSS Dominance

The data illustrates a significant inclination towards free and open-source software (FOSS) in U.S. universities, with FOSS accounting for 66.2% of the overall software landscape. This preference is further detailed in the content management system (CMS) usage breakdown, where FOSS solutions such as Drupal (35.4%), WordPress (18.2%), and other open-source platforms together make up a large majority. This indicates a clear trend within academic institutions to opt for flexible and community-supported technologies over proprietary alternatives, which only make up 9.1% of the usage.

Drupal's Strength

In US universities, Drupal is utilized by 35.4% of institutions, reflecting its significant adoption as a content management system (CMS) in the academic sector. This share indicates that Drupal is the preferred choice for many universities seeking a robust and flexible platform for managing their web content.

CMS Usage Analysis of Top Universities in the US

The List of Top Universities in the USA and Their CMS Usage

Conclusion

This analysis reveals a clear preference for FOSS CMS solutions, particularly Drupal, among top US universities. We will continue this journey to collect more data on CMS usage patterns across different sectors and geographies. This information can assist decision-makers in various organizations in selecting the right CMS for their use case.

Get Involved

Share Your Experience: Are your university websites using Drupal or were you or your organization a part of a Drupal project for any universities, share your story with us! We'd love to feature it. Email us at [email protected].