The College Portrait
A Voluntary System of Accountability
The Voluntary System of Accountability is designed to improve public understanding of how public colleges and universities operate.
The College Portrait provides consistent, comparable and transparent information on the characteristics of institutions and students, cost of attendance, student engagement with the learning process, and core educational outcomes. The information is intended for students, families, policy-makers, campus faculty and staff, the general public, and other higher education stakeholders.
The VSA is a voluntary initiative for 4-year public colleges and universities. Developed through a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), the VSA is designed to help institutions meet the following objectives:
- Demonstrate accountability and stewardship to public
- Measure educational outcomes to identify effective educational practices
- Assemble information that is accessible, understandable, and comparable