External Publishers Surveys

Each year the Office of Institutional Effectiveness completes a number of publishers' surveys. These surveys, in part, contribute to USC Aiken's commitment to openness and public accountability.

AASCU
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities conducts an Institution Profile Survey to gather and aggregate data from participating institutions. The survey's main focus is the perception of the “current and future state of local communities” as well as the institution's impact on the local community.

ACT - IDQ
The ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire provides potential students with information from institutions of higher education. Students may access this information through ACT score reports, ACT services, and ACT student website.

ACT - Graduate/Professional School Questionnaire (DISCOVER)
ACT compiles information submitted by institutions, on the Graduate/Professional School Questionnaire, into the DISCOVER system. The DISCOVER system then provides prospective students with career and educational planning resources.

APA - American Psychological Association - Graduate Programs Questionnaire
APA publishes a book titled (a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4270097.aspx">Graduate Study in Psychology, which can usually be found in university libraries and ordered from APA. Graduate programs are listed by states and include detailed descriptions about programs, including application information, financial aid, tuition and housing.

Babson Survey Research Group
The Babson Survey Research Group conducts an annual survey of online offerings. The survey is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States.

College Board
The College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges provides information about an institution to potential students and other interested parties. This information can be accessed through the institution's College Search profile, and in college guidebooks produced by the College Board.

College Scope
College Scope’s directory of colleges provides information on specific colleges to prospective students and their parents. The directory may be received as a hard copy or students may access the information by conducting a search at College Scope On-line.

Great Colleges to Work For Survey - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Each year the Chronicle of Higher Education surveys faculty and staff asking them for their opinions regarding their work environment. At the same time the institution completes a detailed instituitional questionnaire providing information regarding shared governance, work place benefits, salaries, and working relationships. Nearly 47,000 employees together evaluate their colleges in 12 categories such as job satisfaction, teaching environment and benefits. The Chronicle of Higher Education then ranks institutions taking note of exceptional performers. USC Aiken has received recognition as a "Great College to Work For" in categories of Sahred governance and Confidence in leadership.

Peterson's Undergraduate
Peterson's Annual Survey of Undergraduate Institutions provides information for college planning by way of its publications and affiliated partner websites.

Peterson's Graduate
Peterson’s Annual Survey of Graduate and Professional Institutions allows potential graduate program students to access information by way of its printed guidebooks and online profiles.

Princeton Review
The Princeton Review provides prospective students with information on specific colleges by way of its printed guidebooks and website.

SC BIZ News
SCBIZ is the quarterly magazine serving senior level decision-makers across the entire state of South Carolina. Each year they complete an analysis of higher education issues in the State by conducting a survey of higher education institutions.

US News and World Report
U.S. News collects data from institutions to provide information to prospective students and to compute the US News Best Colleges rankings. USCA is currently ranked as the number 1 public regional college in the South and has been ranked in the top three southern public regional colleges 15 times with 9 rankings in first place.

VSA
The Voluntary System of Accountability seeks to gather and distribute information to the public by way of its College Portrait site. It 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.

Wintergreen Orchard House
Wintergreen Orchard House's survey compiles data into a database and distributes this information by way of various publications, products, and partner websites.