2027 EDUCAUSE Top 10 Spotlights an Age of Change

Artificial Intelligence Tops the 2027 EDUCAUSE Top 10 List

The collection of IT issues on the 2027 list highlights the ways higher education is adjusting to the change it’s currently being confronted with. 

“There is all of this change happening, but we are seeing examples of institutions that are facing that head-on and are tackling the challenge of adapting,” McCormack says. “But they're not just adapting — they're adapting with purpose.”

The 2027 EDUCAUSE Top 10 list is:

1. Determining where AI adds real value
2. Future-proofing students for a volatile world
3. Balancing cybersecurity boundaries with autonomy and trust
4. Designing AI structures for responsible innovation
5. Designing human-centric technology experiences
6. Working creatively within real-world constraints
7. Building a strong and adaptive data governance backbone
8. Measuring and navigating enrollment shifts
9. Meeting stakeholders where they are with AI
10. Reducing friction for more seamless technology experiences 

Artificial intelligence is mentioned on the list three times and takes the No. 1 spot. McCormack says this isn’t surprising, but the measured approach the contributors have taken to AI on the list is notable. 

“You can see that we're all still in that messy space of trying to figure out what to do with AI and how to get a handle on it,” he says. “If you open up your social media feed, it can feel like an all-or-nothing debate right now. You're either a luddite who's tilting against windmills and you're going to get left behind, or you're a part of ushering in the end of the world — whatever kind of shape that debate takes on.”

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McCormack warns that “ubiquity doesn’t equal utility,” meaning that just because AI is the buzzword of the moment, it doesn’t mean it’s right for every situation. It’s important for higher ed technology leaders to understand that distinction.

“I think it really is a great space for higher ed to walk into and model a more nuanced, critical approach to this moment,” he says. “AI is a tool that, like any other tool, can be useful, but let's be thoughtful and honest about where it can actually add value, where it can do harm and pose risks, and where it fits with our culture and goals as an institution.”

Higher Ed IT Teams Are Seeking Balance

Another theme woven through this year’s list is balance. Regarding issue No. 3, for example, McCormack says institutions are balancing strength and structure with autonomy and flexibility in a cybersecurity context.

“We know that the individual user is one of the biggest areas of vulnerability for an institution,” he says. “To me, that's one of the clearest areas where we need to have a shared understanding of what our security posture is and how to protect and be sensitive to those things. But we also have to empower, train and equip the individual person to be that discerning, confident decision-maker in the moment when they don't have their CISO standing over their shoulder.”

LEARN MORE: Assessments can help shape higher ed security strategies.

The report notes that to achieve this while navigating the current security landscape, there must be an institutional culture of communication, mutual understanding and trust.

There is also balance to be found in weaving the human element into the technology experience, particularly in the AI era. With issue No. 5, IT leaders are focused on designing human-centered experiences.

“I think issue No. 5 is the clearest and boldest declaration of the value of designing our systems, tools and technology experiences with the human person in mind,” McCormack said, “with what they need — and even more specifically, with accessibility — in mind, designing our technology ecosystems in ways that are equitable and that don't put up barriers to important stakeholders and people in the community.”

This means everything from moving beyond checklists and meeting basic compliance mandates to conducting outreach for a deeper understanding the needs of each distinct, diverse campus community, the report says. 

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Addressing Challenges Requires Planning and Analysis

The EDUCAUSE Top 10 also addresses challenges in higher education, including resource constraints, enrollment trends and digital friction. 

For issue No. 6, the report highlights institutions that are working creatively under resource and staffing constraints. The 2026 EDUCAUSE Workforce Report discusses a cycle of reactivity in which technology teams don’t have the resources to be proactive in their work and instead must work just to keep their heads above water. This issue addresses the resource-constrained cycle that higher ed IT teams are facing, McCormack says.

“It’s a persistent thing we've picked up from our members,” he says. “They're stressed, and a lot of them are burned out. They feel under-resourced, whether in terms of budget or the staff that they need to support their central services and the work that they need to do.”

So, how are technology teams responding to this cycle? The answer is no longer doing more with less, McCormack says. Instead, institutions are looking for ways to free up time using automation, AI and resource sharing both within and outside their institutions. 

DISCOVER: Frictionless digital spaces improve the end user experience.

“I think there is an opportunity to take a step back and evaluate how are we working,” McCormack says. “Are we actually maximizing our resources? Are we working in the in the most efficient ways or are there opportunities that are right in front of us of things we can do differently to rethink how we operate as a team?” 

Issue No. 8 notes that the enrollment cliff is no longer hypothetical; many institutions report that it’s already here. McCormack says the best way to understand enrollment shifts is to look at the data. 

“This issue gets into how we are equipping our senior leaders and decision-makers with trustworthy and compelling data so they get the full picture of what's happening,” he says. “How can our institution move forward and navigate these demographic shifts?”

For issue No. 10, the list concludes with the need to reduce friction and remove barriers from technology access for a more seamless end-user experience. According to McCormack, today’s rapidly changing technology environment means institutions are acting quickly to implement new tools and technologies. This can lead to technology debt and cluttered IT ecosystems that are redundant or clunky to use. 

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“One example of that would be as a student, I'm trying to complete a task for a course, and I've got multiple systems that I have to log in to separately to accomplish what I need to do,” McCormack says. “Institutions that are looking to address friction might take those different systems and integrate them into a single access point, so that the student can just get in and get what they need through that single point.”

Ultimately, McCormack says, institutions that are adapting well to the rapid changes facing higher education are no longer acting spontaneously when making technology decisions. 

“They're staying anchored to what they value and what their goals and mission are as an institution, and they're adapting with people at the center of it,” he says. “It's encouraging to me that we're seeing adaptation happening thoughtfully.”