Methodology & data sources

Transparency is the core of ScoreCardU. This page documents exactly where our numbers come from, which fields we use, how the derived figures are calculated, and the limitations you must keep in mind.

Data source

Every figure on this site is from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). The College Scorecard is published by the U.S. Department of Education and aggregates institution-level data including cost, completion, admissions and post-enrollment earnings. We pull the data via the public College Scorecard API and commit it as a static, dated snapshot (June 2026) — we do not silently change numbers between visits.

Which fields we use

• In-state / out-of-state tuition — published tuition & fees (latest.cost.tuition.in_state / out_of_state).
• Average net price — average annual cost after grant and scholarship aid (latest.cost.avg_net_price.overall). This is the single best cost figure: it is what families actually pay, not the sticker price.
• Graduation rate — completion within 150% of normal time at 4-year institutions (latest.completion.completion_rate_4yr_150nt).
• Admission rate — overall acceptance rate (latest.admissions.admission_rate.overall).
• Median earnings 10 years after entry — median earnings of students who received federal financial aid, measured 10 years after they first enrolled (latest.earnings.10_yrs_after_entry.median).
• Undergraduate enrollment — student size (latest.student.size).

How we selected the 167 schools

We curated a list of well-known schools — large public flagships, the Ivy League and other highly selective private universities, big state universities, selective liberal-arts colleges and popular regionals — to give a high-search-volume launch set. We omitted any school missing a real net price or earnings figure, and excluded for-profit institutions. No value on this site is invented; if the College Scorecard does not publish a number, we leave it out rather than guess.

Derived figures (our calculations)

Three figures are computed by us from the official inputs above:

ROI signal = median 10-yr earnings ÷ average annual net price
payback years = (average annual net price × 4) ÷ median 10-yr earnings
4-year net cost = average annual net price × 4

• ROI signal expresses how many times one year's net cost the typical graduate earns a decade after entry. It rewards both high earnings and low cost. It is not a return-on- investment percentage, an annualized return, or a forecast.
• Payback years is a rough affordability gauge: how many years of the median salary equal the full four-year net cost. It ignores taxes, loan interest, living-cost inflation and the income you forgo while studying.
• Ranks simply order all schools that report a given metric; ties are broken by the sort and "#1" means best on that single metric, not overall.

The calculator

The net price & payback calculator runs entirely in your browser using the formulas above (net price = sticker − aid; total = net price × years; payback = total ÷ earnings). It stores nothing.

Important limitations

• Net price is an average. It varies a lot by family income — lower-income families typically pay well below it and higher-income families above. Always use a college's official net price calculator for a figure tailored to you.
• Earnings cover only federally-aided students and blend all majors. A specific program (e.g. engineering vs fine arts) can earn far more or less than the school median.
• Outcomes are not all caused by the school. Earnings and graduation rates reflect the students a college admits, its program mix and its region, not only the education provided.
• Data lags. The Scorecard reflects students who enrolled years ago; current costs and outcomes may differ. Verify against the live College Scorecard.

YMYL disclaimer

College choices are major financial decisions. Everything here is general information and an estimate — it is not financial, investment or admissions advice. Verify every figure with the official College Scorecard and the college itself before relying on it. See our disclaimer.