The outcome score gives each college a number from 0 to 100 that sums up three outcomes families care about. It is transparent on purpose: here is exactly how it works.
The three ingredients
| Ingredient | Weight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 45% | Share of first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of normal time |
| Earnings | 35% | Median earnings of former students 10 years after they started |
| Net price | 20% | Average cost after grants (lower is better) |
How it is calculated
- We split schools into two groups: 4-year colleges and 2-year colleges. Schools are only compared with their own group.
- For each ingredient we work out the school's percentile within its group (for example, a graduation rate higher than 80% of 4-year schools is the 80th percentile).
- We combine the three percentiles with the weights above and round to a whole number.
A school needs all three figures and at least 300 undergraduates to get a score. National lists use a higher minimum of 1,000 undergraduates.
Letter grades
Each college page shows a report card. Grades compare a college with others of the same kind (4-year or 2-year), using percentiles:
| Grade | Better than this share of similar colleges |
|---|---|
| A+ | 90% |
| A | 80% |
| A- | 70% |
| B+ | 60% |
| B | 50% |
| B- | 40% |
| C+ | 30% |
| C | 20% |
| C- | 10% |
| D | less than 10% |
- Overall value: the outcome score above.
- Cost: average net price after grants (lower is better).
- Price for low incomes: net price for families earning $0 to $30,000 (lower is better).
- Graduation: graduation or completion rate, for colleges with at least 30 students in the cohort.
- Earnings: median earnings 10 years after entry.
A grade shows n/a when the figure is not reported.
What the score does not do
- It does not measure teaching quality, campus life, specific programs or fit.
- It reflects the students each school enrolls as well as what the school does for them.
- Earnings cover students who received federal aid, and differ by field of study.
- It is not adjusted for cost of living or for regional pay.
Use the score to start a list, then read each school's numbers. All data comes from the College Scorecard release of October 15, 2026.