Higher Ed Capital Planning Software
Strategically manage your CIP and promote sustainable financial health
Strategically manage your CIP and promote sustainable financial health
The Importance of Capital Planning
in Higher Education
Your Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) significantly impacts long-term financial sustainability and institutional resilience. Higher education finance leaders—including CFOs, VPs of Finance, FP&A analysts, and treasury managers—must carefully balance capital investments with ongoing fiscal health. Synario simplifies this challenge by unifying capital and operational planning within a single scenario modeling platform, enabling teams to easily model individual or grouped projects and instantly visualize their effects on financial statements, budgets, and key metrics.
“Synario really made [it] easier to show what the impact of various capital projects around the institution, are going to have on our bottom line."
– David Patrick, Director of Budget, Planning and Analysis, Virginia Commonwealth University
“Synario really made [it] easier to show what the impact of various capital projects around the institution, are going to have on our bottom line."
– David Patrick, Director of Budget, Planning and Analysis, Virginia Commonwealth University
Capital Planning in Synario
New Synergies at Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU uses Synario to bring the budget, treasury, and leadership teams together, to manage it's capital planning. Keeping stakeholders engaged and the financials transparent helps VCU achieve smarter planning.
A Full Field View
Synario links capital project inputs—such as costs, timing, and funding sources—directly with operational and financial statements. As assumptions change, all projections update automatically, ensuring data integrity and consistency. This integration saves significant time and reduces errors common with manual spreadsheet consolidation.
Built to Answer Questions Around Capital Finance Planning
- Can we afford multiple large-scale projects simultaneously?
- Which projects should we pursue first?
- How will these initiatives impact operational budgets and debt levels?
- What’s best sustainable funding strategy?
Streamlined, Interactive Reporting
Dynamic reporting capabilities allow finance teams to communicate financial insights clearly to board members and other stakeholders. Interactive charts and side-by-side scenario comparisons enhance transparency and decision-making.
Comprehensive Capital Planning Solutions
Debt Service and Ratio Analysis
Incorporate debt service and financial ratio analysis directly into your modeling, clearly showing how new projects affect metrics such as debt service coverage ratios. Confidently manage your borrowing capacity and understand rating requirements.
Exploring Funding Alternatives
Explore various funding strategies—internal reserves, fundraising, grants, or debt issuance. Quickly visualize the long-term financial impacts of different funding combinations, allowing informed and strategic decision-making for financial health.
Long-Term Financial Sustainability
Higher ed finance teams can easily project 5, 10, or even 20 years into the future. Synario clearly demonstrates how capital investments made today impact future financial sustainability.
Finding Sustainability Throughout the CIP Process
Scenario Analysis for Capital Initiatives
Synario enables robust scenario analysis, allowing users to easily model unlimited “what-if" scenarios. You can:
- Toggle individual or grouped projects on or off.
- Assess the impacts of alternative project timelines or financing methods.
- Instantly compare multiple project scenarios side-by-side.
For example, finance teams can quickly determine how building a new student center versus renovating existing facilities will affect their debt service ratios and operating budgets.
Proven Capital Planning Success in Higher Education
Endicott College
Endicott College used Synario to model and evaluate a slate of capital projects, helping leadership prioritize initiatives and identify the most financially sustainable funding strategy. By testing extreme and blended funding scenarios in real time, the college built confidence in its long-term financial plan—even as it adapted to the impacts of COVID-19.
UCLA
Discover how Synario became UCLA leadership's trusted tool for evaluating the financial feasibility of strategic projects and initiatives. With Synario, UCLA's Treasury Department evolved into a key player in the ideation, analysis, and decision-making process, as they transformed the way the institution approaches liquidity.
Confident Decisions
Mean Brighter Futures
Synario bridges the gap between short-term budgeting and long-term forecasting, ensuring every department in your institution has the tools they need to succeed. From CFOs to analysts, Synario’s tailored solutions transform higher ed finance by delivering clarity, collaboration, and confidence.
With a focus on higher ed strategic planning and enabling processes like budgeting in higher ed, Synario is the ultimate platform for driving smarter decisions and achieving institutional goals.
