Artois University elevates research and curriculum with GitLab Ultimate for Education

Source: GitLab Blog

Introduction

Leading academic institutions face a critical challenge: how to provide thousands of students and researchers with industry‑standard, full‑featured DevSecOps tools without compromising institutional control. Many start with basic version control, but the modern curriculum demands integrated capabilities that span the entire software development lifecycle—from planning and coding to security testing and deployment.

The Challenge

• Scalability: Supplying tools to large cohorts while maintaining performance and reliability.
• Compliance: Ensuring that institutional policies and data‑privacy regulations are upheld.
• Cost: Balancing budget constraints with the need for comprehensive, up‑to‑date tooling.
• Learning Curve: Providing an environment that mirrors real‑world industry practices without overwhelming students.

GitLab Ultimate for Education

Artois University adopted GitLab Ultimate for Education to address these pain points. The platform offers:

• End‑to‑end DevSecOps: Integrated CI/CD pipelines, security scanning, and monitoring in a single interface.
• Role‑based Access Controls: Fine‑grained permissions that align with university governance.
• Unlimited Users: No per‑seat licensing fees, allowing the university to scale freely.
• Educational Resources: Access to training materials, labs, and certifications tailored for academic use.

Implementation Highlights

1. Curriculum Integration
   Faculty incorporated GitLab into courses ranging from introductory programming to advanced security engineering. Students now experience a production‑grade workflow from day one.

2. Research Collaboration
   Research groups leverage GitLab’s issue tracking and merge request features to coordinate multi‑institution projects, ensuring reproducibility and auditability.

3. Student Projects
   Capstone projects are hosted on GitLab, enabling continuous feedback, automated testing, and seamless deployment to cloud environments.

Outcomes

• Improved Skill Readiness: Graduates report higher confidence in using industry‑standard tools, leading to better job placement rates.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Researchers cite smoother cross‑team communication and faster iteration cycles.
• Cost Savings: The university eliminated separate licensing fees for multiple tools, consolidating everything under GitLab’s umbrella.

Future Plans

Artois University aims to expand GitLab usage to additional departments, introduce more advanced security modules, and develop custom learning paths that align with emerging industry trends.