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Public resources

The free college data behind the decision.

Families should be able to inspect the evidence themselves. Here is what Edarrow currently uses, what each source can answer, and where the data can mislead if read without context.

The short answer

What public data does Edarrow use?

Edarrow’s current college fit methodology uses IPEDS, College Scorecard, and BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Reports identify their data vintage and preserve missing values instead of turning gaps into invented facts.

See how each source enters the methodology

Current Edarrow inputs

Three source families, clearly labeled.

These sources inform the current report. “Public” does not mean complete, current to the day, or predictive for an individual student.

01

IPEDS

National Center for Education Statistics
What it helps answer
Institutional characteristics, admissions, enrollment, published prices, completions, graduation, and retention.
Read with care
Reporting cycles lag current conditions, and not every measure applies cleanly to every institution.
Use IPEDS data
02

College Scorecard

U.S. Department of Education
What it helps answer
Institution- and field-level cost and outcomes context, including available net price, debt, repayment, and earnings measures.
Read with care
Measures describe groups of students and historical outcomes; they do not predict one student’s result.
Open College Scorecard
03

BLS OEWS

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What it helps answer
Occupation wage estimates used as career context when a directly relevant program earnings measure is unavailable.
Read with care
Occupation wages are not the same as graduate earnings and vary by role, location, experience, and economic conditions.
View OEWS tables

Useful beyond the Edarrow score

More free tools every family can use.

These are valuable research tools, but they are not all direct inputs to Edarrow’s current scoring model.

College Navigator

Search and compare institutions, programs, admissions considerations, campus characteristics, and other reported information.

Search College Navigator

Net Price Calculator Center

Find each participating college’s calculator and estimate what students with similar circumstances paid after grants and scholarships.

Find a net price calculator

Occupational Outlook Handbook

Explore typical work, education requirements, pay, and employment outlook by occupation.

Explore occupations

Federal Student Aid

Use the official source for FAFSA, federal grants and loans, aid-offer guidance, and student-aid account information.

Visit StudentAid.gov

How to read the numbers

Four checks before you compare colleges.

  1. 01

    Check the year and population.

    Ask when the data was collected and which students are included. A measure can be accurate and still describe a different cohort than the one you care about.

  2. 02

    Separate average net price from your aid offer.

    Averages and calculators are planning tools. The college’s written financial-aid offer is the family-specific source of truth.

  3. 03

    Treat earnings as context, not destiny.

    Program and occupation measures summarize groups. They cannot account for every location, career path, economic cycle, or individual choice.

  4. 04

    Keep missing data visible.

    Unavailable information is a reason to investigate further—not permission to assume the result is average.