U.S. Department of Education
College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education created its College Affordability and Transparency Center in 2011 to help students and their families find an affordable college. The Center gathers information on two- and four-year colleges and universities, focusing on graduation rate, cost of tuition, and amount students take in loans. The scorecard allows users to enter criteria (region, degree or major, size, etc.) and generate a list of colleges that meet their particular needs. The tool can also be used in reverse, with students entering in the name of a college and seeing how it scores across all criteria.

(Click on the image below to enlarge.)

Starting a Conversation: Respond to “College Scorecard”
In the text boxes below, respond to the “College Scorecard” by considering the following questions:

  1. Question

    The introduction to the scorecard says, “You can use the College Scorecard to find out more about a college’s affordability and value so you can make more informed decisions about which college to attend.” What does this statement suggest about the scorecard’s purpose? Might it have more than one?

  2. Question

    Notice the criteria options on the tool’s homepage, such as “Size,” “Region,” or “Campus Setting.” Are there other criteria options students might want to investigate when evaluating schools?

  3. Question

    A student typed “University of Delaware” into the search box. View the results, and notice the categories of information that the scorecard contains. Which pieces of information are favorable for the University of Delaware? Which are unfavorable? How might the information on the scorecard help a student decide whether to apply to your college?

  4. Question

    Read the results under the “Employment” category. As the tool explains, the Department of Education is still gathering this information and encourages users to ask prospective colleges about future employment. Do you think the lack of information in this category lessens the tool’s effectiveness?

  5. Question

    Visit the complete scorecard at whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education/college-score-card to explore it further. Try entering your school and view the results. Do they surprise you?
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