> even though I'm going to have to make a pixel-perfect clone of my university's LaTeX template

I'm not sure if you really mean pixel perfect or if it's just an exaggeration. There are packages in latex which are almost impossible to replicate in a pixel perfect way, one widely used example is microtype, which is especially useful in scientific works.

Universities can be infamously nitpicking when it comes to thesis formatting and their house style, for some reason.