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What Is U-CAN?
U-CAN is a web-based consumer information resource designed to give students and parents concise, consumer-friendly information on 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). (NAICU, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit organization that serves as the national voice of private higher education. It represents approximately 950 independent institutions on federal issues.)
U-CAN includes information identified by prospective college students, parents, and policy-makers as being crucial to making a smart college choice and important for institutional transparency and accountability. It is the first national consumer information tool developed by colleges and universities-either private or public. 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.
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 policy-makers indicate that they believe more can done to help students and parents choose the college that's 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.
What Does U-CAN Offer?
U-CAN helps to make the college selection process more holistic, and responsive to the interests and priorities of the individual student. The college and university profiles provide key statistical data that's 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 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.
U-CAN also will give consumers easy access to information on average loans at graduation, undergraduate class-size breakdown, and net tuition for hundreds of colleges. 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.
Will the Site Content be Updated?
Yes. We are at the begining stages of the site. It will continue to grow and improve as institutions work to enhance their profiles and NAICU responds to feedback from the public.
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 not-for-profit and does not accept advertising or sponsorships.
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, and then decide for themselves which college best meets their interests and needs.
Was U-CAN developed to compete with the U.S. News 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 U.S. News rankings, but participating colleges and universities are free to discuss their interest and involvement in U-CAN as they best see fit. Some institutions view U-CAN as a replacement for the U.S. News rankings. Others do not.
How is U-CAN different from U.S. News and other college information resources marketed to students and parents?
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 will the U-CAN data be standardized across institutions?
Since it is important to have comparability across U-CAN profiles, participating institutions are asked to follow the guidelines regarding the specific year and source for data. When consumers compare U-CAN profiles for various institutions, it is critical that they be able to view data from the same year. An extensive and detailed set of directions for colleges 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 decide that the information on U-CAN is self-serving and of little value, the likely alternative is 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 are hardly self-serving.
Are there any search features available that will allow consumers to pull up the U-CAN templates for a certain subset of institutions?
A search feature will allow users to search for a variety of institutional subsets, including state, affiliation, and distance from the student's zip code. NAICU is exploring the possibility of adding more search variables in future upgrades of the site.
Does U-CAN have profiles for both private and public institutions?
U-CAN only provides profiles of private, nonprofit colleges and universities. (However, schools do not have to be NAICU members to participate.) The need to produce a site promptly to address consumer and congressional demand meant that the first phase of U-CAN could only accommodate private colleges and universities.
Would NAICU consider letting public institutions join?
Yes, down the road, if interest is expressed by the public sector. Two public university associations are also currently planning a similar site of their own.
How will U-CAN's "success" be measured?
The site could help one student find the college of his or her dreams to be considered a success. We expect to hear anecdotal, yet powerful, personal stories in the consumer feedback we collect on the U-CAN site. For quantitative measures of the site's popularity, NAICU will be closely monitoring web traffic statistics, and surveying participating institutions over the coming year.
How will U-CAN get noticed in a world filled with well-financed, well-marketed college selection resources?
NAICU is promoting an ambitious grassroots communication effort that supports efforts by participating institutions to reach out to local high schools, parents, news media, and community groups. In addition, NAICU will be coordinating a national radio tour featuring college and university presidents. We will be marketing U-CAN through the "new media," including targeted ads on Google and Facebook, and a presence on Wikipedia and social network sites.
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