A leading higher education institution in the U.S., our client provides academic and administrative support to tens of thousands of students and faculty. Their legacy Drupal 7 portal served as a centralized hub for course management, enrollment, events, and internal communication. With Drupal 7 reaching its end of life, the institution needed to ensure compliance, security, and enhanced digital accessibility—without disrupting service to thousands of daily users.
Client’s Objectives
- With their Drupal 10 upgrade, the client aimed to:
- Migrate from Drupal 7 to 10 with zero data loss
- Improve web accessibility for WCAG compliance
- Modernize the UI/UX to meet Gen Z student expectations
- Streamline content discovery for students and faculty
Client’s Challenge:
Migrating a decade-old, mission-critical portal came with its own set of challenges:
- Legacy Architecture: The portal was heavily reliant on outdated custom modules and contributed modules no longer supported in Drupal 10.
- Unstructured Content: Thousands of course pages, event updates, and admin content were spread across the site with no standard taxonomy or hierarchy.
- Accessibility Gaps: The platform lacked ADA and WCAG 2.1 compliance, limiting access for users with visual or mobility impairments.
- Performance Bottlenecks: Slow page loads and legacy code impacted both frontend speed and backend operations.
- High Stake Migration: Any downtime would affect academic workflows like class registrations and internal communication.
The Solution We Implemented:
Our Drupal migration experts created a phased upgrade roadmap, taking into account the scale, sensitivity, and compliance needs of a higher ed portal. Here's how we approached it:
- Content Audit & Taxonomy Redesign: We restructured the content architecture and applied a centralized taxonomy for seamless navigation and searchability.
- Custom Module Refactoring: Obsolete custom modules were rebuilt or replaced with Drupal 10-compatible alternatives for optimal functionality.
- WCAG 2.1 Compliance: Accessibility was baked into every UI decision—from keyboard navigability to screen-reader compatibility and proper ARIA labeling.
- Modern UX/UI Design: A complete design overhaul gave the portal a clean, responsive, and user-friendly experience tailored for digital-native students.
- Zero-Downtime Migration: We used a parallel staging environment to ensure uninterrupted access to critical functions during the upgrade.
- Advanced Search Functionality: Integration of faceted search and improved filters to make course and admin content easier to find.
- Security Enhancements: Hardened site infrastructure with role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication, and regular security scans.
Impact on Client’s Business:
The Drupal 10 migration didn't just modernize the backend—it transformed the digital campus experience for students and faculty alike.
- 132% Increase in Portal Engagement
- 40% Faster Access to Course Content via Improved Navigation
- ADA & WCAG 2.1 Compliance Achieved Across All Pages
- Page Speed Improved from 6.8s to 1.4s
- Zero Security Incidents Post-Migration
- 25% Drop in Support Tickets Related to Navigation Issues
Closing thoughts
This higher ed portal transformation shows how upgrading from Drupal 7 to 10 isn’t just about compliance—it’s about creating meaningful user experiences for the digital-first generation. From accessibility to engagement, the results speak for themselves.
Still running on Drupal 7 or 8? Don’t wait until your platform becomes a problem. Talk to our Drupal experts today and plan your upgrade the smart way.