Guide
Comparing Schools With Outcomes Data
How to read the publicly available evidence on what happens to students at each school — before you apply, visit, or commit.
Outcomes data lets you compare colleges on what actually happens to their students — how many graduate, what they earn, and how they manage loan repayment — using figures published by the federal government and the schools themselves.
When you compare colleges, marketing materials and campus tours show you what schools want you to see. Outcomes data shows you what happened to students who already made the choice you are considering. This section pulls together every page you need to read and use that evidence well, from understanding where the data comes from to spotting the figures that look meaningful but predict nothing.
The pages here are grouped the way they are because working with outcomes data is a sequence, not a lookup. You start by understanding what is published and who publishes it, then you learn what each metric actually measures — and what it hides — and then you put it together into a comparison you can act on. Skipping the middle step is how families end up misreading a number and drawing the wrong conclusion.
Work through the foundational pages first: what the College Scorecard shows, where all published data originates, and what the key terms mean. Then move into the individual metrics — graduation rates, retention, earnings, repayment — before you build your comparison. The final pages cover what data genuinely cannot tell you, so you finish the process knowing both what you learned and what you still have to ask.
What you need to understand first
Outcomes data vs. reputation
Reputation reflects how people feel about a school. Outcomes data reflects what happened to measurable groups of students there. The two do not always point in the same direction. This section focuses on data because it can be checked, compared, and updated — reputation cannot.
Who publishes the numbers
Most federal outcomes data flows through the Department of Education and is displayed on the College Scorecard. Schools that accept federal financial aid are required to report certain figures. Knowing the source tells you what a number covers, how often it is updated, and what it legally has to include.
Cohort definitions matter
Many published figures apply only to a defined group — often first-time, full-time students who began in a particular term. If you plan to enroll part-time, transfer in, or start at a different point in the year, the standard figures may not describe students like you at all.
The July 2026 rule change
Federal student loan repayment data and some earnings figures were affected by regulatory changes that took effect on July 1, 2026. Data published before that date reflects rules that applied to earlier borrowers. Data published on or after that date reflects the new rules. Which version applies to you depends on when you first borrowed.
Metrics that describe, not predict
An outcome figure tells you what happened to a past group of students. It does not guarantee the same result for you. Factors like your major, your financial situation, whether you live on campus, and the economy you graduate into all affect your individual result in ways no published average captures.
Comparing similar students
A school that enrolls students with fewer resources may show lower average graduation rates while still doing more for those students than a school with a more advantaged intake. Comparing outcomes for students with similar starting points — income level, preparation, enrollment status — gives you a fairer picture than raw averages alone.