The Australian National University has been criticised by students for putting too much money into research and not enough into the undergraduate experience.
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ANU students association president Dallas Proctor said he and his members were completely unaware of the release of the My University website yesterday but were itching to get online and check out its data.
Mr Proctor said a number of students had complained to him recently that the university was so busy putting time and money into recruiting high-quality researchers that it was forgetting key aspects of the undergraduate experience.
''A lot of money goes into getting amazing research from overseas when some of those researchers will never see an undergraduate, ever,'' he said.
''It's great that we will now be able to look at all the factors that have to be taken into account.''
Launched yesterday, the federal government's My University website gives students the chance to compare courses, costs, staffing, services and facilities in 39 institutions across the country.
Its categories are extensive, listing everything from the number of students who find work after graduating right through to photocopying charges and the number of pubs on campus.
University of Canberra student Grace Perkins, 20, welcomed the site yesterday and said she wished it had come a few years earlier.
Having grown up in the United States, the maths and international studies student said it would have made researching courses much easier before she came.
''When I thought of coming to Australia I was really just randomly picking universities because I didn't really know how to access information on them all,'' she said.
''I ended up choosing UC because it was the cheapest, so I'd be interested to compare course fees at other unis now.''
Bachelor of accounting student Tori Freeman, 18, felt he had been given enough information on open days to be confident with his decision to study at UC.
But he felt being able to prove that other universities offered better value for parking, services and clubs might help students to demand greater support at their own campuses.
Meanwhile, bachelor of education student Esther Wilson, 20, said a number of students would find it useful in planning their careers.
''I think students who are really serious about their careers would find the statistics on the number of people who gain employment after graduating from specific courses really useful.''
