WSCUC Launches Data Narrative to Bring Greater Transparency to College Costs and Value

The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) unveiled new enhancements to its public Key Indicators Dashboard (KID), giving students, families, and policymakers clearer insight into the economic value of a college degree. The new Data Narrative feature uses guided questions and interactive charts that help users quickly see the real cost of college, how much students borrow and earn, and how long it typically takes students to recoup their investment.

“WSCUC’s Data Narrative translates complex data into intuitive charts that help students, institutions, and other stakeholders understand where a college degree offers strong returns and where debt and earnings challenges may exist,“ said WSCUC President Dr. Maria Toyoda. “It tells a story about affordability, loan repayment risk, and long-term value at the institution and program level.”

The update arrives amid national discussions on college affordability and graduate earnings and follows WSCUC’s recent additions to KID, including the Price-to-Earnings Premium (PEP) metric and the new Carnegie Classifications. The Data Narrative feature reinforces the federal Financial Value Transparency framework, which emphasizes clear, program-level measures of cost, debt, and earnings to help students and families make informed choices.

The Data Narrative guides users to explore what students actually pay after grants and scholarships, borrowing rates and median debt levels, and whether college students out-earn high school graduates over time. It also highlights debt-to-earnings by program, average loan payback periods, and reveals if graduates of the largest programs earn enough to manage loan repayment.

“One of the ways WSCUC advances student outcomes is by making data accessible to the public and the institutions we hold accountable for student success,“ said Dr. Stephanie Huie, WSCUC vice president and data lead. “WSCUC will continue to lead efforts to promote transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making in higher education.”

Since its launch in 2021, WSCUC’s Key Indicators Dashboard has provided public, interactive access to critical data on the institutions it accredits, including enrollment, retention, completion, graduation rates, student debt, and other important measures.