Methodology & Data Sources
How CampusGuide builds college profiles from federal open data.
Data Sources
Every data point on CampusGuide traces to a federal open-data source. We do not generate, estimate, or editorialize any statistics. Our primary sources:
| Source | What It Provides |
|---|---|
| College Scorecard U.S. Department of Education |
Tuition and fees, admissions rates, SAT/ACT scores, enrollment, median earnings after graduation, financial aid, and student debt |
| IPEDS / NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System |
Institutional characteristics, graduation and retention rates, degree programs, faculty counts, and campus setting |
| Wikidata Wikimedia Foundation |
Founding dates, mascots, and school colors |
| NOAA / National Weather Service Climate Normals |
Campus climate data including average temperatures, precipitation, and snowfall |
| Clery Act / Campus Safety Office of Postsecondary Education |
Crime statistics reported under the Clery Act, including on-campus, housing, and public property incidents |
Data Coverage
Not all fields are available for every institution. Federal reporting requirements vary by school type, size, and funding. When data for a particular field is not available for a school, that section simply does not appear on the profile page.
We never fill gaps with estimates, averages from peer institutions, or placeholder text. If a number is on CampusGuide, it came directly from one of the sources listed above.
Narrative Summaries
Some pages include short written summaries that put the numbers in context — for example, how a school's net price compares to the median earnings of its graduates. These summaries are generated programmatically from the same federal data shown on the page, and they are regenerated when the underlying data updates.
Every figure cited in a summary traces to the sources listed above. If you spot a statement that does not match the data, report it through the contact page and we will correct it.
Update Schedule
Our data reflects the most recent releases from each source:
- College Scorecard and IPEDS — updated annually, typically each September when the Department of Education publishes new institutional data.
- Climate normals — published by NOAA every 10 years. The current dataset covers the 1991–2020 normals period.
- Campus safety statistics — updated annually alongside the Department of Education releases.
- Wikidata — refreshed periodically as community-maintained records are updated.
How Our Rankings Work
Pages like "Best Colleges in Massachusetts" rank schools with a composite score computed from four federal data points. The formula is the same for every school and every list:
- 6-year graduation rate — 30% of the score
- Median earnings 10 years after entry — 30%
- Admission selectivity (inverse of acceptance rate) — 20%
- In-state tuition affordability (lower tuition scores higher) — 20%
Schools missing graduation-rate data are excluded from rankings rather than estimated. "Cheapest" and "Best Value" lists are simpler: they sort directly by average net price, or by the ratio of program earnings to net price. No school can pay to change its position.
What We Don't Include
CampusGuide intentionally excludes several categories of information common on other college sites:
- Student reviews or testimonials — opinion-based content does not appear on our profiles.
- Proprietary survey data — we do not license or reference data from paid survey providers.
- Editorial filler — no "vibrant campus life" or "nestled in the rolling hills" copy. Narrative text exists to explain the numbers, not to market schools.
The goal is a clean, factual reference. If you want to know tuition, graduation rates, or average January temperature on campus, the number is here. If a metric requires subjective judgment, it is not.
Data Corrections
If you believe a data point is incorrect, the most effective path is to check the original source. Our data is imported directly from federal databases, so corrections should be directed to the institution's reporting office or the relevant federal agency:
Once corrected at the source, the updated data will be reflected on CampusGuide after our next annual import.