Ferrum College, along with hundreds of other members of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), has joined a national initiative to provide prospective students and their families with clear and concise information on individual institutions. This information will be presented through the University & College Accountability Network (U-CAN) a Web-based project with a commitment to information transparency and accountability.

Despite the many and varied sources of college information, focus groups with higher education consumers show great concern about the lack of proper information to make the right college choice. It was consumer and political demand that sparked the development of U-CAN, which is unique in the fact that it is the first nationally coordinated effort by institutions themselves to collect and report data directly to students and their families. Recently, the project gained attention when dozens of colleges and universities publicly announced their decisions not to participate in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of America’s Best Colleges.

U-CAN is designed with the user in mind, with all content and design driven by consumer comments. The site consists of institutional profiles that contain comparable data and hyperlinks to qualitative campus information. The material provided in the U-CAN profiles is taken from an extensive U.S. Department of Education survey and information known as the Common Data Set. Sections within the profiles will cover admissions, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer of credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, class size, tuition and fees trends, price of attendance, financial aid, campus housing, student life and campus safety. Most notably, all the information on the U-CAN website is completely free (U-CAN does not accept advertising or sponsorships). For more information on U-CAN, contact the Public Relations Office at (540) 365-4300 or to see the free profiles, go to www.ucan-network.org