College choices involve real money, so we hold every page to the same rules.
Sources
- College figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. We do not estimate missing numbers: if a college did not report a figure, the page says so or leaves it out.
- Guides use official sources first (Federal Student Aid, the Department of Education, the College Board and colleges' own pages). Each source is linked, with the date we checked it.
- Lists and grades follow rules we publish in full on how we score colleges.
Checking
Before a page goes live we check that each number matches its source, that dates and years are stated, and that advice does not promise outcomes no one can promise, such as admission or a specific aid amount.
Updates
College data is refreshed when the Department of Education releases a new College Scorecard, usually once a year. Guides are reviewed when the rules they describe change, such as new loan limits or FAFSA dates. The "Updated" date on a guide changes only when its content changes.
Independence
Colleges cannot pay to appear, rank higher or change their pages. See how we make money.
Pictures
We never use college logos or mascots. Campus photos come from Wikimedia Commons under open licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA), matched to each college through its federal ID, with the photographer and license credited under every photo. Charts and share cards are drawn from the same federal data as the pages.
Corrections
If you find a mistake, tell us on the contact page with the page and the figure. We fix errors as soon as we confirm them.