Data Sources & Methodology

Every number on GradFax has a source. Here's exactly where our data comes from, how we verify it, and how often we update it.

Our Data Integrity Principle

If we can't cite it, we don't display it. Every statistic on GradFax links to its source. When data is community-sourced rather than government-verified, we label it clearly. We never mix verified and unverified data without disclosure.

Primary Data Sources

IPEDS — Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

IPEDS is the primary source for the vast majority of data on GradFax. Maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), IPEDS collects data from every college, university, and technical/vocational institution that participates in federal student financial aid programs.

Data points from IPEDS:

Tuition & fees (in-state and out-of-state)Room and board costsAcceptance ratesEnrollment numbersGraduation rates (4-year and 6-year)Student demographicsFaculty-to-student ratiosFinancial aid statisticsInstitutional characteristicsReligious affiliationsPrograms offeredNet price by income bracket

Update frequency: IPEDS data is refreshed every 3-6 months as new survey cycles are released. Most recent data: IPEDS 2023-2024 academic year.

College Scorecard

The College Scorecard is maintained by the U.S. Department of Education and provides outcome-focused data that goes beyond what IPEDS captures.

Data points from College Scorecard:

Median earnings after graduationStudent loan debt levelsLoan repayment ratesEarnings by field of study

Update frequency: Quarterly, as new cohort data becomes available.

Supplementary Data Sources

Open-Meteo

Historical weather data for each school's location. One-time fetch, static dataset.

Walk Score

Walkability, transit, and bike scores for campus locations. Static dataset.

Wikimedia Commons

Campus images curated from public domain and Creative Commons sources. 2,045 images curated.

Community-Sourced Data

Campus culture, nightlife, and social life data collected from student communities and public sources. Always clearly labeled with a community badge on the platform. Currently covers top 250 schools by enrollment.

Our Verification Process

Ingest from federal databases

Raw data is pulled directly from IPEDS and College Scorecard APIs. No manual entry, no intermediaries.

Validate and clean

Automated checks flag outliers, missing values, and inconsistencies. Schools with incomplete data show "Not reported" rather than estimates.

Cross-reference

Key metrics (tuition, acceptance rates) are cross-checked against College Scorecard and institutional websites for consistency.

Source attribution

Every displayed metric includes an info icon linking to the original data source. Users can verify any number independently.

Coverage

~6,000

Accredited institutions

States + territories

100+

Data points per school

Questions about our data?

If you spot an error or have questions about a specific data point, let us know.