Higher Education Scorecard Data

The Higher Education Scorecard is an online tool created by the U.S. Department of Education to provide transparent and accessible data on colleges and universities across the country. Launched in 2013 as part of a broader effort to improve higher education accountability, the Scorecard offers detailed information on institutional performance, helping students, families, policymakers, and researchers make informed decisions about higher education.

The Scorecard provides data on several key indicators, including costs, graduation rates, student loan debt, post-graduation earnings, and student demographics. It allows users to compare institutions based on factors like average annual cost, median borrowing, and the percentage of students receiving financial aid. One of its core purposes is to help prospective students understand the return on investment (ROI) for different colleges by showing how much graduates typically earn compared to how much debt they take on.Another critical aspect of the Scorecard is its focus on student outcomes. It tracks graduation rates, retention rates, and loan repayment rates to give a clearer picture of how well institutions support their students through to completion and beyond. For example, users can see what percentage of students at a particular school successfully repay their loans or how many students transfer out before earning a degree.Policymakers and researchers use the Scorecard to analyze trends in higher education, track disparities across different types of institutions (e.g., public vs. private), and assess the impact of federal student aid programs. By providing a transparent view of higher education performance, the Higher Education Scorecard empowers stakeholders to make better-informed decisions about college affordability, value, and outcomes.