Most college and university websites look exactly the same – mind-numbingly-boring. And this is exactly what you should avoid when you have such a wide variety of potential target users – people like current and prospective students, professors, investors, parents of students…

A web site is the public face of a university and really needs to have a user-centric design that puts your core message across in a highly appealing manner.

On that note I thought I’d give you some inspiration with what I feel are some of the better university website designs out there.

William & Mary

What I like: Bold animated header, superb navigation and sophisticated visuals.

Bates College

What I like: Bold animated header, easy navigation links.

Middlebury College

What I like: Site’s uniqueness that adds to its appeal and sets it apart from the rest, easy navigation.

Northland College

What I like: Clean look which makes all the elements on the page jump out, quirkiness in the font choice.

Biola Undergrad

What I like: Fun and flirty with its use of spring colours, great home page – students would want to explore and dive right in.

Champlain College

What I like: Classic feel, easy navigation.

Dickinson College

What I like: Bold sidebar with main menus, easy grid navigation.

Colby-Sawyer College

What I like: Minimalist style with lots of white space.

Oregon College of Art & Craft

What I like: Bold background, great visuals and typography.

Washtenaw Community College

What I like: Animated header images work a treat in establishing a connection, easy access to all information.

Warner Pacific College

What I like: Both the header and the background, lovely typography and colours.

Capitol College

What I like: A very serious looking website that works, the visuals and colours set the tone and college expectations.

Century College

What I like: Clean look with white background, excellent typography and choice of colours.

Global College

What I like: Inviting feel, great use of images in the header.

Youthworks College

What I like: Header with drop-down menus, easy navigation.

Hagerstown Community College

What I like: Classic look, but not dated, all information available at a glace.

Jamestown Community College

What I like: Aesthetically pleasing layout and navigation.

Hampshire College

What I like: Animated header with useful information layout.

Marlboro College

What I like: Simple layout that works.

Thomas Edison State College

What I like: Animated header, bright feel and easy access to all information.