10 Ways to Make Your Higher Education Website More Accessible

A Practical Guide for Colleges & Universities: Making Higher Ed Websites More Accessible

Higher education is rooted in the idea of access. Your website—often the first and most frequent touchpoint for prospective students, families, faculty, and alums—should reflect that. However, while physical campuses continue to improve accessibility, many college and university websites are still catching up.

Web accessibility means designing and developing your site so everyone, including people with disabilities, can use it. This includes users who rely on screen readers, navigate by keyboard, or need strong color contrast to read content clearly. It also means structuring content intuitively and logically, regardless of how someone is accessing your site.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set the global standard. These guidelines outline how to make web content more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA is often considered the baseline—and in many cases, it's the legal requirement.

This checklist is for higher education communicators, marketers, and digital teams who want to improve accessibility to meet standards and better serve their communities.

1. Has your website been professionally audited for accessibility in the last 12 months? 

Accessibility isn't a project you complete once—it's an ongoing process. Over time, minor updates can introduce issues that go unnoticed without a formal review.

A professional accessibility audit includes automated testing (which scans your site for known technical issues) and manual testing (which evaluates real-world usability using screen readers, keyboards, and other assistive technologies). Ideally, you should perform a full audit annually to stay in step with WCAG standards and evolving user needs. 

2. Are your images using meaningful, descriptive alt text?

Alt text (alternative text) helps screen readers convey the meaning of an image to users who can't see it. But it also improves search engine optimization (SEO) and overall clarity.

Each image on your site should include the following:

• Relevant alt text that reflects the function of the image (not just what's in it).
• Alt text that avoids redundancy—decorative photos may not need it at all.
• Consistency in tone and style across the site.
• Keywords where appropriate—alt text can support your SEO strategy when it naturally includes terms students are searching for (i.e., “undergraduate biology program” rather than just “students in lab”).

Example: Instead of "A student," say, "Student walking across campus toward the science center on a sunny afternoon."

3. Are your videos captioned and transcribed accurately? 

Video content is increasingly central to storytelling but must be accessible to all users.

To meet WCAG:

• Captions must be accurate, synchronized, and available for all prerecorded videos with audio.
• Transcripts should be provided for audio-only content and as an additional layer of video accessibility.
• Auto-generated captions (like those from YouTube) often miss important context—manual review is essential for accuracy.

Captions also benefit users in noisy spaces or who simply prefer to watch content without sound. 

4. Can your site be fully navigated using only a keyboard?

Many users navigate the web using a keyboard rather than a mouse—whether due to mobility differences, assistive technology, or personal preference.

WCAG requires that:

• All interactive elements—menus, forms, modals, dropdowns—can be accessed using keyboard commands alone.
• The focus order is logical and intuitive.
• Visual indicators (like focus outlines) clearly show users where they are on the page.

Try it yourself: Can you complete a task on your site using only the Tab, Shift + Tab, and Enter keys?

5. Are your forms—and documents like PDFs—accessible, clearly labeled, and easy to complete?

Forms are among the most important (and often most frustrating) parts of the user experience. They’re also one of the most common sources of accessibility issues—especially on college websites, where forms drive essential actions like applications, campus visit signups and contact inquiries.

To ensure your forms meet WCAG accessibility standards:

• Each field should include a visible, programmatically associated label.
• Required fields and error messages should be clearly indicated and announced to screen readers.
• Logical tab order and clear instructions make the process smoother for all users.

But it’s not just forms—PDFs and downloadable documents also need to be treated as web content. If your application instructions, course catalogs, or financial aid guides are only available as PDFs, they must be structured for accessibility.

That means:

• Using proper semantic structure in the source document (like Word) before exporting to PDF—applying paragraph styles (e.g., Heading 1, Normal) rather than just formatting text manually.
• Tagging PDFs correctly, with clearly defined headings, lists, and tables, so assistive technologies can interpret and navigate the document.
• Avoiding scanned or image-only PDFs that don’t contain selectable, readable text.

Accessibility here directly affects usability and conversion. A confusing form or unreadable document can be a barrier—not just to your content, but to a student’s next step.

6. Does your color palette meet WCAG contrast requirements?

Color contrast affects readability for everyone—but it's essential for users with low vision or color blindness.

WCAG 2.1 AA requires:

• A minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for standard text.
• A minimum 3:1 ratio for large text and interactive elements like buttons and links.

Suppose your site uses light gray text on a white background or color alone to convey information (like charts or error states). In that case, you may unintentionally exclude users.

7. Have you tested your site with real users who rely on assistive technology?

Automated tools can catch about 30% of accessibility issues. For the rest, you need people.

User testing with individuals who use screen readers, voice navigation, or other assistive tech provides insights that no audit or checklist can replicate.

Look for:

• Confusing or inconsistent navigation.
• Content that's hard to interpret without visuals.
• Unannounced context changes (like pop-ups or modals).

Their feedback can help you make your site more intuitive for everyone.

8. Is accessibility built into your publishing and design workflow?

Even a perfectly accessible site can become less usable over time if accessibility isn't embedded in how your team works.

Sustainable practices include:

• Training for content editors and designers.
• Accessible components and templates built into your CMS.
• Standardized checklists during publishing and QA.
• Clear ownership and processes across teams.

The goal: Make accessibility part of your culture, not just a compliance task.

9. Is your accessibility statement visible, actionable, and written in plain language?

An accessibility statement does more than meet a requirement—it reflects your institution's values and commitment to inclusive experiences.

Best practices:

• Use plain, friendly language (avoid legal jargon when possible).
• Include contact information and a clear way for users to report a barrier.
• Keep the statement easy to find, ideally in your footer or accessibility menu.

A strong statement can turn a potential frustration into a demonstration of care.

10. Do you have a plan for maintaining accessibility over time?

Accessibility needs attention as your website grows. Without a clear process, issues creep in.

We recommend:

• Automated monitoring tools that flag common issues in real time.
• A regular cadence of manual checks (quarterly or semiannually).
• Governance policies for content updates, vendor integrations, and CMS changes.

With the right systems in place, accessibility becomes proactive—not reactive.

Accessibility isn't a checkbox—it's a commitment.

A commitment to ensuring every visitor, regardless of ability, can access the opportunities your institution provides. Creating a digital space as open, welcoming, and equitable is the mission of higher education itself.

This checklist is a starting point. Use it to evaluate your site, spark conversations with your team, and prioritize updates that make a real difference.

And if you need a partner to help you move accessibility forward—we're here. With deep experience in higher education and inclusive digital strategy, we're ready to support you wherever you are in the process.