Accreditor WSCUC Announces First-of-Its-Kind Data Tool for Comparing Student Outcomes Across Carnegie Peer Groups

Public dashboard gives students, colleges, and policymakers clearer insight into how similar institutions perform on access and economic mobility

ALAMEDA, Calif., OCTOBER 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), the first institutional accreditor to publish a public dashboard of student outcomes, today announced an update to its Key Indicators Dashboard (KID) designed to help policymakers, researchers and the public evaluate how effectively colleges expand opportunity and support economic mobility. Drawing on the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, including the new Student Access and Earnings Classification, the updated peer groups give students, institutions, and the public a clearer basis for assessing outcomes across comparable colleges and universities.

"As families weigh the cost of college, they need a clearer picture of where a degree can lead and whether it will put their goals within reach," said Dr. Maria Toyoda, president of WSCUC. "Economic mobility depends on both access to college and what happens after graduation. Making those outcomes more visible helps students make informed choices and encourages institutions to focus on the economic impact and opportunities their programs create."

The enhanced dashboard helps institutions interpret their student outcomes within the broader context identifying areas of relative strength and opportunities for improvement. Alongside program-level data on costs, debt, and earnings, the new peer groups help institutions better understand how their educational programs shape economic outcomes for students after graduation. More transparent comparisons create incentives for institutions to examine their performance against peers, identify gaps, and strengthen student outcomes.

The update builds on WSCUC's ongoing expansion of public data on college costs, debt, and post-graduation earnings. In August 2025, WSCUC introduced the Price-to-Earnings Premium (PEP) metric, which estimates how long it takes graduates to recover their education costs through earnings above those of typical high school graduates. Subsequent enhancements include field-of-study return on investment (ROI) views and an interactive Data Narrative that helps users explore the relationship among costs, debt, earnings, and ROI.

Launched in 2021, KID provides institution- and program-level outcomes data for WSCUC-accredited institutions. Users can track results over time and compare performance against peer and national benchmarks, helping institutions and the public assess whether programs are delivering on the promise of opportunity.

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching released the updated Carnegie Classifications in 2025. The framework groups institutions by characteristics including size, degree types, and academic programs. Its new Student Access and Earnings Classification adds a lens on whom institutions serve and how students fare economically after attending.

WSCUC previously used Carnegie Classifications as a starting point for the development of peer groups and then refined them using additional student and enrollment characteristics. The new methodology relies exclusively on characteristics within the 2025 Carnegie framework, allowing researchers and other organizations to replicate the approach using public data.

"Benchmarking against well-chosen peers gives institutions context for understanding student outcomes and identifying areas for improvement," said Dr. Stephanie Huie, WSCUC vice president and data lead. "Institutions can use KID's Carnegie-based peer sets for strategic planning and program review, and researchers can replicate the methodology with public data to study outcomes across comparable institutions."

WSCUC's peer group assignment methodology is available here. To explore the Key Indicators Dashboard, visit wscuc.org/KID.

About WSCUC: The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. WSCUC's outcomes-focused accreditation supports institutions in building and sustaining innovative educational programs and assures the public that accredited institutions meet rigorous standards of quality and effectiveness.

SOURCE WASC Senior College and University Commission