US CollegesHow to read US college data
The figures on this site come from the College Scorecard, which the U.S. Department of Education publishes so that families can compare colleges. Each number answers a narrow question. Here is what each one counts.
Published price and net price
Tuition and fees is the published price for a year of teaching. Public colleges charge less to students from their own state ("in-state") than to everyone else ("out-of-state"). The full cost of a year adds books and living costs. The net price takes grants and scholarships off that full cost, averaged over students who received federal aid. A college with a high published price can have a low net price for families with low incomes, which is why the table by family income matters more than the headline figure.
If you are an international student
Federal aid is for United States citizens and certain residents. International students normally pay the out-of-state or full published tuition, plus living costs, and any scholarship comes from the college itself. So read the tuition rows, not the net price, and ask the college what it offers international applicants.
Admission rate and test scores
The admission rate is the share of applicants who were offered a place. The SAT is scored out of 1600 and the ACT out of 36; the figures shown are averages or midpoints for admitted students, not minimums. Many colleges no longer require test scores, and those colleges may report none.
Graduation and return rates
The graduation rate counts first-time, full-time students who finish within one and a half times the normal length: six years for a four-year degree, three for a two-year one. The return rate is the share of first-year students who come back for the second year. Students who transfer in, or study part time, are not in these figures, which can make colleges with many such students look weaker than they are.
Earnings and debt
Median earnings are measured ten years after students first enrolled, for those who received federal aid and are working. Median debt is the federal loan debt of students who completed. Both are medians: half are above and half below. Earnings differ far more between subjects than between colleges.
Public, private nonprofit, for-profit
Public colleges are run by a state or local government. Private nonprofit colleges are independent and put their income back into the institution. For-profit colleges are businesses.
Questions worth asking of any college
- What would a student like me actually pay each year, for all years of the course?
- How many students finish, and how long does it take them?
- Is the college accredited by a recognised agency?
- What do people who studied my subject there do afterwards?
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education, data released on 2 November 2026; checked in November 2026. Net price, debt and earnings describe students who received US federal aid. Costs change each year. This is official data for general information, not advice: confirm costs and admission rules on the college's own website and at collegescorecard.ed.gov.