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The U-CAN consumer information initiative -- www.ucan-network.org -- was created by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities 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 consists of hundreds of institutional profiles that provide a unique mix of 42 quantitative elements, narrative descriptions, and 25 hyperlinks to campus web sites. Institutions not only report cut-and-dry statistics, but also have the opportunity to express what makes them special. The profiles are displayed in a common template that NAICU developed.
U-CAN went live on September 26, 2007. Interest in the initiative is strong and continues to grow. Nearly 670 institutions have signed up, and 480 of them have published live profiles so far. The launch was reported in more than 80 national, regional, and education trade publications, including USA Today, BusinessWeek, and the Chicago Tribune. U-CAN received significant coverage in the two months leading up to the launch, as well. The New York Times, Washington Post, and Time were among the 75 news outlets to report on the effort.
To date, the U-CAN site has had more than 40,000 visits since September 26, making it one of the most visited association-affiliated web sites in higher education during that period. The top two referring web sites are Google and BusinessWeek, which indicates that U-CAN is being visited by a broad base of the public. Statements of support for the U-CAN project were provided by Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-CA), ranking member on the House education committee; and leaders of the College Parents of America, United States Student Association, and Colleges That Change Lives.
Consumers shaped the content and format of U-CAN. Through focus groups conducted in cities across the nation, prospective students and parents from all backgrounds identified the information they most need to make an informed college choice.
U-CAN profiles also include information identified by policy-makers as important for institutional accountability. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have called for comparable, concise, relevant, and easily accessible information to help the public better evaluate and choose colleges.
The in-depth information included 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. Also provided is 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.
U-CAN is totally free both to users and to the colleges and universities that choose to participate.
Moving forward, U-CAN will be promoted in several ways to continue building consumer awareness. These efforts include keyword advertising on Google; targeted advertising on Facebook to high school students; a national radio tour featuring college presidents; direct mailings to high school and college counselors; a presence on Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia; and ongoing grassroots outreach by member institutions.
October 10, 2007
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