WSCUC today made available metrics measuring economic outcomes for students after graduation in WSCUC’s Key Indicators Dashboard (KID). Post-graduation economic outcome metrics are available for member institutions with applicable data and include earnings by field of study, earnings by credential, and debt-to-earnings ratio for students four years after graduation who received federal financial aid and are working.

The metrics are sourced from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Providing the metrics easily through KID furthers WSCUC’s commitment to transparency, quality, and accountability and arrives amid national discussions on college affordability and the economic returns of a postsecondary degree. The data, along with WSCUC’s companion post graduate economic outcomes guide, is available to help institutions, WSCUC peer reviewers, students, and the general public interpret the data and engage in informed conversations.

“WSCUC is committed to increasing student achievement through evidence, continuous improvement, and focusing on outcomes that matter,” said WSCUC President Jamienne S. Studley. “Post-graduation economic metrics shed light on the value of a college degree in fostering upward mobility. We’re gratified that our institutions welcome these new tools for improving the effectiveness of their educational programs.”

WSCUC’s 2023 Standards of Accreditation require institutions to analyze student outcomes following graduation and to use the results for improvement. Economic outcomes metrics in KID help institutions examine students’ progress after completing their academic programs, entering the workforce, or pursuing further education. WSCUC will continue to add outcomes data to KID and to develop new and non-financial measures to help institutions evaluate the full picture of student success and assess their effectiveness under the Standards.

With the release of KID in 2021, WSCUC became the first national accreditor to make public an interactive data tool on the institutions it accredits. The dashboard’s interactive features provide institutions, peer reviewers, and the public access to enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates; student debt; percentage of students earning more than a high school graduate at key intervals; and extensive student demographic information, among other metrics. KID is part of WSCUC’s “Better Conversations, Better Data” initiative, which aims to strengthen the accreditation process through an evidence- and inquiry-based approach.