APSCU Statement on the College Ratings Framework

Washington, D.C., December 19, 2014—Statement by Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, on the College Ratings Framework:

"If after nearly a year and half of work, this is all the Department can muster, it seems to support the long held belief by many in higher education that while a college rating system is admirable in theory, it is not feasible to create metrics that definitively assess the quality of so many institutions across the country.

"As the Department continues down this lengthy process, we believe their time would be better spent determining what information is most helpful to students and their families, not developing more complicated formulas and metrics that only clutter the landscape and add confusion to an already difficult process for families.

"With more than a dozen college ranking systems currently in existence, the Department would be better served to work with Congress to focus on creating policies and producing information that help students, and their families, in making educated decisions about their future."