Our Methodology
Transparency is at the core of USACollegeData. Here's how we collect, process, and present the data you see on this site.
Data Collection
All institution and program data on USACollegeData comes from two official U.S. government sources:
- College Scorecard API — Maintained by the U.S. Department of Education. Provides institution-level data including tuition, earnings, debt, admission rates, and completion rates.
- NCES IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) — The primary federal data source for postsecondary institutions. Provides program-level data including field of study, credential levels, and outcomes by major.
Metrics We Track
We focus on the metrics that matter most to students and families making college decisions:
- Median Earnings — Median salary of graduates measured at multiple years after enrollment, sourced from federal tax records.
- Median Debt — Median federal loan debt at graduation for completers of each program.
- Graduation Rate — Percentage of first-time, full-time students who complete within 150% of normal time (e.g., 6 years for a bachelor's degree).
- Tuition & Fees — Published in-state and out-of-state tuition and required fees for the most recent academic year.
- Admission Rate — Percentage of applicants admitted, where reported.
- Return on Investment (ROI) — Calculated by comparing median earnings premiums against total cost of attendance.
Rankings & Comparisons
Our rankings are computed directly from the underlying data—we do not use subjective surveys or reputation scores. When you view a "Best" or "Top" list, institutions are sorted by the specific metric indicated (e.g., lowest tuition, highest median earnings, best graduation rate).
Comparisons are generated for frequently searched college pairs and present the same verified metrics side by side so you can make your own informed judgment.
AI-Generated Analysis
Some pages include AI-generated narrative analysis (marked with a teal sidebar). These paragraphs are produced by Google's Gemini language model and are designed to:
- Summarize the data already shown on the page in plain language
- Highlight notable patterns, strengths, or considerations
- Remain strictly factual and data-driven—no opinions or subjective rankings
AI analysis is generated once per page and stored alongside the data. It does not replace the underlying numbers, which are always shown independently.
Update Frequency
Our data is refreshed when new releases of the College Scorecard and IPEDS datasets become available, typically on an annual cycle. The most recent data release year is displayed in the footer of every page.