Profile Locator

Enter Zip Code:

Or City and State:


Search Institution

Institution name

State




Commonly Asked Questions about U-CAN

Print
E-mail



 

 

What is U-CAN?

U-CAN is a Web-based resource designed to give students and parents concise, consumer-friendly information on nonprofit, private colleges and universities in a common format. U-CAN was developed and is managed by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

U-CAN includes information identified by prospective college students, parents, and policymakers as being crucial to making a smart college choice and important for institutional transparency and accountability. It was the first national consumer information tool developed by colleges and universities themselves. For the first time, hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation are actively collecting and providing consumer information directly to the public in one central location.

How many colleges participate?

As of January, 2010, 808 nonprofit, private colleges and universities have signed up to participate in U-CAN. See our U-CAN By the Numbers section for more statistics about the initiative.

What does U-CAN offer?

U-CAN helps to make the college selection process more holistic, and more responsive to the interests and priorities of the individual student.  The college and university profiles provide key statistical data complemented by narrative descriptions and subject-specific links to relevant campus Web pages.  Together, this quantitative and qualitative information gives consumers an opportunity to see what sets each college or university apart in nature, mission, and academic and student life features.

The in-depth information in the college and university profiles covers admissions, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer of credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, class size, tuition and fee trends, price of attendance, financial aid, campus housing, student life, and campus safety.

U-CAN also gives consumers easy access to institution-specific information on average loans at graduation, undergraduate class-size breakdown, and net tuition. This information, which comes from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS survey and the Common Data Set, is often difficult for consumers to find and decipher.

Is U-CAN free?

Yes. All the information on the Web site is available to the public at no cost. There is also no charge for institutions to participate. U-CAN is a nonprofit effort, and does not accept advertising or sponsorships.

Does U-CAN have profiles for both private and public institutions?

U-CAN only provides profiles of private, nonprofit colleges and universities. (However, institutions do not have to be NAICU members to participate.)  A parallel initiative, College Portrait, has been established by our colleague associations, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), providing similar consumer information on public colleges and universities.

Why was U-CAN created?

Consumers, Congress, and the U.S. Department of Education have called for consumer-friendly information that individuals need to evaluate colleges, a goal that NAICU strongly supports.

College is a substantial investment, and the families of this nation deserve good information to help them make good decisions. U-CAN gives consumers the most useful information about institutions, reports it in a consumer friendly way, in a common format and single location, and charges nothing for the public to see it.

Although there are many third-party sources of college information, focus groups with consumers and conversations with policymakers indicated that they believed more could be done to help students and parents choose the college that is the best fit.

What determined U-CAN's content and format?

U-CAN is oriented toward the interests of prospective college students and their families, as determined through consumer research.  The types of information collected and the design of the college and university profiles were shaped by focus groups held across the nation with students and parents from diverse backgrounds.  Feedback collected through follow-up consumer focus groups, site user surveys, and other means is continually assessed. 

Does U-CAN rank institutions?

No.  U-CAN does not rank or rate colleges and universities.  Rather, the school profiles are a convenient way for students and families to compare institutions using a standard format.  U-CAN's ease of use allows users to decide for themselves which college best meets their interests and needs.

Was U-CAN developed to compete with the U.S. News & World Report rankings?

No.  U-CAN was created in response to public demand for comparable, concise, relevant, and easily accessible information, not as a replacement for U.S. News or any other consumer information tool.  NAICU does not take a position on the use of U.S. News rankings in choosing a college.

How is U-CAN different from U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" and other commercial publications?

U-CAN offers the following unique mix.

  • The type of information collected and the design of the college and university profiles were shaped by the focus groups with students and parents.  U-CAN collects the most useful information from participating institutions, and reports it in reader-friendly format.
  • The profiles are highly "clickable." More than two dozen targeted hyperlinks take students to specific pages of an institution's Web site.  The links and narrative descriptions complement the profile's statistical data, and provide an opportunity to see what makes each college or university unique.
  • U-CAN is free.  There is no cost to consumers to access the profiles, and no charge for colleges to participate.  U-CAN is not-for-profit and accepts no advertising or sponsorships.


How does U-CAN differ from the U.S. Department of Education's College Navigator?

U-CAN and College Navigator, both launched in September 2007, provide similar search options and institutional data points.  U-CAN only includes nonprofit private colleges, while College Navigator includes public colleges and universities, nonprofit private colleges, and for-profit private institutions.  College Navigator is more data-intense, while U-CAN offers a simplified, visually-appealing design.  Its colorful charts and graphs allow for quick comparisons between institutions, and allow users to get to the information they need more easily.  U-CAN also provides links to targeted sections of college Web sites, where users can find additional institution-specific information.   

How does U-CAN differ from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities "College Portrait" information?

Actually the two services are quite similar.  College Portrait requires participating colleges to provide student learning outcomes, and specifies which measures institutions must use, while U-CAN does not overtly  require outcomes measures.

Why doesn't the U-CAN template include learning outcomes measures?

Two reasons.  First, our extensive research in shaping U-CAN found no consumer demand for learning outcomes data.  Arbitrarily including additional data that students and parents aren't seeking would diminish the user-friendly nature of U-CAN.

Second, there is no one learning outcomes measure - or one set of measures - that are broad-based enough to be used across all types of institutions and all academic fields of study.  This makes it impossible to provide outcomes data with the kind of comparability that is the bedrock of U-CAN.  We do, however, encourage U-CAN participants to provide consumers with appropriate assessment, outcomes, and success measures through links to that sort of information on their institutional Web pages.    

How often is the site content updated?

Data provided by participating colleges and universities is updated annually, in the fall.  The most recent update took place in late 2009, and the next update will occur around the same time late in 2010.  

How is U-CAN data standardized across institutions?

Since it is important to have comparability across U-CAN profiles, participating institutions are asked to follow guidelines regarding the specific year and source for data elements.  When consumers compare U-CAN profiles for various institutions, it is critical that they be able to view data from the same year.  By clicking on the "?" buttons throughout an institution's profile, consumers can view drop-down boxes with details on the data sources used.  An extensive and detailed set of directions for institutions' use in entering their data also helps assure comparability.

Can a tool like U-CAN, developed by colleges and universities, be trusted to provide consumers with objective and honest information?

If consumers, Congress, and the administration were to decide that the information on U-CAN is self-serving and of little value, the likely alternative well might be new federal reporting mandates.  It is in the enlightened self-interest of colleges and universities to provide accurate information.  Among the statistics reported on U-CAN are list price, five-year tuition trends, and average loan debt at graduation - figures that, at their best, are hardly self-serving.

How will U-CAN get noticed in a world filled with well-financed, well-marketed college selection resources?

NAICU coordinates an ambitious and ongoing grassroots communication effort that encourages participating institutions to reach out to local high schools, parents, news media, and community groups.  U-CAN is also widely visible through online media, including targeted ads on Google and Facebook, and a presence on Wikipedia and social network sites.  Basically, we've harnessed the very powerful communications tool of word-of-mouth.  As those who visit the U-CAN site find it useful, they tell others, and traffic to the site continues to grow.