Web site after Web site offers students information they want to know about a college from how much it will cost to how students rate the cafeteria food.

While students may worry about whether dorm rooms are big enough to transplant all the comforts of home, universities are taking steps to make information about their performance more accessible to parents and students.

As part of a national initiative, the UL System has signed onto the Voluntary System of Accountability to make information ranging from demographics, student performance and learning outcomes available in an easy-to-read and easy-to-access format.

Information like that matters to Elizabeth Buras, a senior at Riverside Academy in St. John the Baptist Parish, was visiting UL's campus Tuesday.

"I want to know the dropout rate," she said. "A lot of people I know dropped out. I want to know why. What do they do to try to help them and if I'm struggling, what are they going to do to help me?"

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Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com