The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) and its College Portraits website is a college search tool for prospective students and an accountability tool for public institutions. Students and their families can use the College Portraits to find a presentation of comparable information that comes directly from public universities. Participating institutions use the College Portraits to highlight common information prospective students and families seek. College Portraits data elements include: admissions requirements, retention and graduation rates, campus community highlights, academic programs,

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

, and cost of attendance, to name a few. In 2010, a College Affordability Estimator net price calculator was added to help prospective students estimate their individual net cost to attend a specific university. The Estimator meets the requirements of the

Higher Education Opportunity Act The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) () was legislation signed into Law of the United States, United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University (t ...

. Institutions and systems can use the College Portraits to meet accountability requirements from governing boards,

state legislatures A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Stat ...

, state coordinating offices, and other outside groups, often reducing their burden and duplication of effort. The College Portraits can also be used during the accreditation process as evidence of student learning outcomes, institutional improvement, transparency, and commitment to the public good. The VSA is a joint project of the

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization of public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and higher education organizations. It has member ca ...

(APLU) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in collaboration with the higher education community. VSA institutions represent more than half of all public four-year institutions, 66 percent of all APLU members, and 60 percent of APLU and AASCU's joint membership. VSA participating institutions enroll 63 percent of

undergraduate students Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

attending public universities.

References

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External links

http://www.vsaanalytics.org/index.cfm

http://www.collegeportraits.org
University and college rankings in the United States American Association of State Colleges and Universities

See also

References

External links