Achieve Excellence in Education With Tailored Solutions

Leading institutions choose Toptal to solve their most important challenges. Our dedicated higher education team will help you define solutions and implement them, leveraging our world-class talent network.

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Trusted By Leading Industry Partners

I worked with Toptal for a number of years in three different companies and have always had phenomenal results.

Kelly Christoffersen
Senior Software Engineer, USC Institute for Creative Technologies
Education Clients
900+
Education Projects
2,400+
Delivering Education Solutions Since
2012

INDUSTRY CAPABILITIES

Unrivaled Higher Education Solutions

Our higher education capabilities leverage the global Toptal Talent Network to help institutions thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. From regulatory compliance to increasing enrollment to accelerating research efforts, we empower your institution to focus on what matters most: educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Academic Research Support

Partner with our professionals for support in ideation, data analysis, administration, and product development to advance your research goals.

Project Management

Deliver key higher education initiatives on time and on budget with project management expertise that keeps work on track and frees up time for leadership to focus on strategic goals.

Technology Solutions

Advance your institution’s technology infrastructure and capabilities with support for data migrations, software development, AI projects, information security, and more.

Enrollment Cliff Strategy

Navigate the changing dynamics of enrollment management by defining and executing solutions that drive enrollment and reduce summer melt.

Digital Accessibility

Ensure your institution remains in compliance with consultants, designers, and engineers who support institutional accessibility projects at any stage, from assessment and strategy to remediation and execution.

Marketing and Communications

Revamp and redesign websites and marketing campaigns to better connect with prospective students, their families, and alumni.

Academic Research Support

Partner with our professionals for support in ideation, data analysis, administration, and product development to advance your research goals.

Project Management

Deliver key higher education initiatives on time and on budget with project management expertise that keeps work on track and frees up time for leadership to focus on strategic goals.

Technology Solutions

Advance your institution’s technology infrastructure and capabilities with support for data migrations, software development, AI projects, information security, and more.

Enrollment Cliff Strategy

Navigate the changing dynamics of enrollment management by defining and executing solutions that drive enrollment and reduce summer melt.

Digital Accessibility

Ensure your institution remains in compliance with consultants, designers, and engineers who support institutional accessibility projects at any stage, from assessment and strategy to remediation and execution.

Marketing and Communications

Revamp and redesign websites and marketing campaigns to better connect with prospective students, their families, and alumni.

CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS

Get the Toptal Advantage

Alongside traditional consulting, our expert advisors and talent utilize tailored delivery models to provide strategic and tactical solutions that uncover, discover, and recover your competitive advantage.

Industry-leading Expertise

Highly knowledgeable industry experts with deep experience in higher education so you can focus on what really matters.

Industry Insights

Skilled higher education industry analysts prepared to evaluate market trends and devise strategies relevant to your institution.

Industry-leading Talent

A diverse talent network of highly skilled professionals ready to assess, plan, and execute critical institutional initiatives.

Accelerate innovation and project execution with Toptal’s Higher Education solutions

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Why organizations choose us

Toptal in Action

Discover the cutting-edge solutions our clients enjoy from the global Toptal network.

Toptal empowers Imperial College London to revolutionize remote learning for geology students.

Challenge: When shelter-in-place orders made geological field trips impossible, resourceful professors set out to create a 3D, multiuser gaming environment to simulate fieldwork.

solution icon Outcome

A next-gen virtual fieldwork experience

The Toptal team worked with Imperial geologists to transform drone-captured data into interactive, Unity-based simulations, providing students with a collaborative field experience using high-fidelity models of real geological sites.

impact icon Impact

Delivering remote fieldwork to hundreds of students

The solution successfully hosted remote geological field trips for up to 300 students simultaneously. Students and staff praised the tool for its realism, scalability, and effectiveness in challenging conditions.

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USC innovates a first-of-its-kind scalable AI assistant.

Challenge: Toptal partnered with the University of Southern California to create an innovative and scalable virtual wellness assistant called Ask Ari, helping to tackle the challenge of supporting student mental health and wellness in a high-performing academic environment.

solution icon Outcome

A groundbreaking AI-powered virtual mental health advocate

The Toptal team combined science-backed content with cutting-edge AI technology to create a first-of-its-kind virtual advocate. It combines a custom AI logic tree with next-generation natural language processing.

impact icon Impact

Empowering students to manage stress and anxiety

By working with Toptal, USC was able to accelerate delivery and expand the reach of the program. Students using Ask Ari report feeling empowered to better handle their anxiety and stress.

Watch Full Case Study

Top research university partners with Toptal for efficient administration of cancer research trials

Challenge: A leading medical research university partnered with Toptal to create a unified web platform for administering and analyzing cancer research trials—addressing the complexity of integrating diverse data sources across multiple communication tools.

solution icon Outcome

A streamlined cancer trial management solution

The Toptal team built a fully integrated web application that unified data collection, study management, and in-depth analysis tools—enhancing accuracy and efficiency while saving $60,000 in development costs.

impact icon Impact

Accelerating data-driven cancer care

The client’s platform has since been adopted by a national research organization. The partnership is helping expand access to more accurate, data-driven cancer treatment and care nationwide.

Need a higher education expert who delivers value fast?

Connect with Toptal’s Higher Education Team

From developing innovative technology strategies to driving sustainable change, our team has led numerous projects for leading higher education institutions through top-tier advisory and team augmentation.

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Alex Bachman

Alex Bachman

Higher Education Industry Leader

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Industry Insights

Explore Insights From the Higher Education Industry

From pioneering disruptive technology to delivering innovative solutions, learn how our talent shapes industry insights into functional solutions that help organizations build the future today.

The Catch-22 Facing Academia and the Tech Sector in the War for Top Talent

The Catch-22 Facing Academia and the Tech Sector in the War for Top Talent

Academia and the tech sector are in a war for top technical talent. As well-funded tech companies continue to poach professors and graduate students, each sector faces crucial questions that may dictate their future relationship and long-term success. This article explores strategies that Bellevue College has employed to attract and retain top technical faculty.

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Toptal Research

Toptal Research

In-depth analysis and industry-leading thought leadership from a panel of Toptal researchers and subject matter experts.

Collaboration that works

How to Work with Toptal For Your Higher Education Needs

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Talk to a Higher Education Industry Leader

A Toptal industry leader will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and desired team dynamics.
2

Tailored Solutions for Your Team

Augment your internal team with individual talent or teams from Toptal’s network, or choose a fully managed end-to-end solution.
3

The Right Fit, Every Time

Whether you need specific high-caliber talent, or full end-to-end delivery, Toptal will provide a world-class solution every time.

Accelerate innovation and project execution with Toptal’s Higher Education solutions

Get a Consultation Now