| Independent Colleges Launch Consumer-Information Initiative |
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MICUA Matters Fall 2007
As of Sept. 26, the public received access to a new tool in comparing private college facts and figures: the University and College Accountability Network, or U-CAN. Developed by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities—which counts MICUA as a member—the consumer-information initiative is designed to give, in a common format, prospective students and their families concise, web-based consumer-friendly information on individual private colleges and universities. U-CAN is totally free—both to users and to the colleges and universities that choose to participate. With close to 600 participating colleges and universities at its launch, the initiative includes the majority of MICUA institutions.
U-CAN gives consumers easy access to information on average loans at graduation, undergrad class-size breakdown, net tuition, graduation rates, and much more. This information, which comes from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS survey and the Common Data Set, is currently difficult for consumers to find. U-CAN profiles also include information identified by policymakers as important for accountability. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have called for more consumer information to help the public evaluate and choose colleges, a goal that NAICU strongly supports. For more information, visit www.ucan-network.org.
“I welcome the creation of U-CAN because it allows our institutions greater transparency and appropriate accountability to the public,” says MICUA President Tina Bjarekull. “At the same time, the web site respects the varied and distinctive missions of our colleges and universities, and does not impose ‘one size fits all’ assessments that ignore their diversity.” |