# Ellucian Banner + MentorAI Integration > Source: https://ibl.ai/resources/integrations/ellucian-banner-mentorai *Transform Banner student records into personalized AI mentoring experiences — owned by your institution, running on your infrastructure.* Ellucian Banner is the student information system of record for hundreds of higher education institutions worldwide. It holds the enrollment, academic history, and demographic data that defines each learner's journey. MentorAI by ibl.ai connects directly to Banner to deploy purpose-built AI tutoring and mentoring agents that adapt in real time to each student's academic profile, course load, and performance trends. Unlike generic AI chatbots, MentorAI agents are provisioned on your institution's own infrastructure. Your Banner data never leaves your environment, ensuring full FERPA compliance and zero dependency on third-party AI vendors. ## Capabilities ### Enrollment-Aware Personalization MentorAI reads live Banner enrollment records to tailor every tutoring interaction to the student's actual courses, credit load, and academic standing — no manual configuration required. ### Academic History Context Agents access Banner academic history to understand prerequisite gaps and prior performance, enabling smarter scaffolding and targeted remediation for each learner. ### Program and Degree Pathway Guidance MentorAI uses Banner degree audit and program-of-study data to help students understand how current coursework connects to graduation requirements and career pathways. ### At-Risk Early Identification By combining Banner academic standing data with MentorAI engagement signals, institutions can surface at-risk students earlier and trigger proactive advisor outreach. ### FERPA-Compliant Data Handling All Banner student data is processed within the institution's own infrastructure. No student PII is transmitted to external AI vendors, ensuring full FERPA compliance by design. ### Institution-Owned AI Agents Unlike SaaS AI tools, MentorAI agents are deployed on institutional infrastructure. The institution owns the code, data, and model configurations — with zero vendor lock-in. ## Setup ### Step 1: Provision ibl.ai MentorAI on Institutional Infrastructure (~1-2 days) Deploy the MentorAI platform on your institution's cloud environment or on-premises servers. ibl.ai provides infrastructure-as-code templates for AWS, Azure, and GCP to accelerate provisioning. Requirements: - Cloud account or on-premises server meeting minimum compute specs - Institutional IT administrator access - ibl.ai license and deployment package ### Step 2: Configure Ellucian Banner API Credentials (~2-4 hours) Create a dedicated Banner API service account with read permissions for student, enrollment, course, and academic standing resources. Generate OAuth 2.0 credentials for secure MentorAI authentication. Requirements: - Ellucian Banner 9.x or higher with Banner APIs enabled - Banner system administrator privileges - OAuth 2.0 client credentials ### Step 3: Connect Banner Data to MentorAI Context Engine (~2-4 hours) Enter Banner API endpoint URLs and credentials into the MentorAI admin console. Configure data sync schedules for enrollment and academic history feeds. Run a validation sync to confirm data integrity. Requirements: - Banner API base URL and credentials from Step 2 - MentorAI admin console access - Network connectivity between MentorAI and Banner environments ### Step 4: Define and Deploy AI Mentoring Agents (~1-3 days) Use the MentorAI agent builder to configure purpose-built agents for target courses or programs. Map Banner course codes to agent scopes so each agent is grounded in the correct academic context. Requirements: - Course catalog and program data from Banner - Subject matter input from faculty or instructional designers - MentorAI agent configuration access ### Step 5: Enable SSO and Student Access (~4-8 hours) Integrate MentorAI with your institutional identity provider (SAML 2.0 or OIDC) so students authenticate using their existing Banner-linked credentials. Configure access rules by enrollment status or cohort. Requirements: - Institutional SSO provider (e.g., Shibboleth, Azure AD, Okta) - SAML 2.0 or OIDC metadata - Banner enrollment status attributes passed via SSO ### Step 6: Monitor, Audit, and Iterate (~Ongoing) Use the MentorAI analytics dashboard to track engagement, session quality, and at-risk signals. Review FERPA audit logs and refine agent behavior based on student interaction data and faculty feedback. Requirements: - MentorAI analytics dashboard access - Designated institutional AI administrator - Defined review cadence (recommended: monthly) ## Technical Requirements **Ellucian Banner Requirements:** - Ellucian Banner 9.x or higher - Banner APIs (Ethos API or Banner REST APIs) enabled and accessible - Dedicated Banner service account with read access to student, enrollment, course, and academic standing resources - OAuth 2.0 client credentials configured in Banner - Network firewall rules permitting outbound API calls from MentorAI environment to Banner API endpoints **ibl.ai MentorAI Infrastructure Requirements:** - Cloud environment (AWS, Azure, or GCP) or on-premises servers meeting ibl.ai minimum compute specifications - Kubernetes cluster (managed or self-hosted) for agent orchestration - Institutional SSO provider supporting SAML 2.0 or OIDC - TLS 1.2+ for all data in transit - Persistent storage for learner context and audit logs (minimum 500 GB recommended for mid-size institutions) - ibl.ai MentorAI license and deployment credentials **Compliance and Security Requirements:** - FERPA data handling policy review and sign-off by institutional compliance officer - Data residency confirmation — all Banner PII must remain within institutional infrastructure boundaries - Role-based access control (RBAC) configured for MentorAI admin, faculty, and student roles - Audit logging enabled for all Banner data access events within MentorAI - Annual security review aligned with SOC 2 Type II controls ## FAQ **Q: Does MentorAI send Ellucian Banner student data to external AI providers?** No. MentorAI is deployed entirely on your institution's own infrastructure. Banner student data is processed locally within your environment and is never transmitted to ibl.ai servers or any third-party AI vendor, ensuring full FERPA compliance. **Q: Which versions of Ellucian Banner are supported for this integration?** The integration supports Ellucian Banner 9.x and higher with Banner APIs (Ethos API or Banner REST APIs) enabled. Institutions on older Banner versions should consult their Ellucian representative about API availability or contact ibl.ai for alternative connector options. **Q: How long does it take to deploy MentorAI with an Ellucian Banner integration?** Most institutions complete the core integration — infrastructure provisioning, Banner API connection, and initial agent deployment — within one to two weeks. Full rollout timelines vary based on the number of courses, SSO complexity, and institutional change management processes. **Q: Can MentorAI agents be scoped to specific Banner course sections or programs?** Yes. MentorAI agents are purpose-built and scoped during configuration. You can map agents to specific Banner course reference numbers (CRNs), subject codes, or programs of study, ensuring each agent is grounded in the correct academic context. **Q: How does MentorAI use Banner academic history data?** MentorAI uses Banner academic history — including prior course grades, GPA, and credit completion — to build a dynamic learner profile. This allows agents to identify prerequisite gaps, adjust explanation complexity, and provide targeted remediation without requiring students to self-report their background. **Q: Does this integration replace Ellucian Banner or the institution's existing LMS?** No. MentorAI is designed to complement and enhance existing systems. It reads data from Banner and can surface within your existing LMS or student portal. It does not replace Banner's SIS functions or your learning management system. **Q: Who owns the AI agents and data generated by MentorAI?** The institution owns everything — the deployed agent code, the learner interaction data, and the model configurations. ibl.ai's zero vendor lock-in model means you can migrate, modify, or decommission agents at any time without dependency on ibl.ai infrastructure. **Q: Can MentorAI help identify at-risk students using Banner data?** Yes. By combining Banner academic standing flags and enrollment data with MentorAI engagement signals — such as session frequency and question patterns — institutions can surface early at-risk indicators and route alerts to advisors through existing student success workflows.