Disclosures and data sources

On every page

• EducationGuide gives general information from public data. It is not admissions, financial-aid, financial or legal advice, and nothing here guarantees admission, aid or a price. Confirm figures with each college before you decide.
• No college pays to appear, to be picked or to be ranked. EducationGuide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, any state agency, or any college named here.
• Public data can contain errors, and we may make mistakes combining it. If a number looks wrong, email us and we'll check it.

On reports and results, when they apply

• Always (reports): This report recalculates from our current data each time you open it, so figures can change after the date it was created. Each source and year is listed below.
• A test score or GPA was entered: Reach, target and likely compare your numbers with the middle 50% of a college's students. They are not probabilities: colleges also weigh course rigor, essays, activities, residency, intended major and institutional priorities, and ranges change every year.
• A school's comparison uses federal enrolled-student test ranges: Where no state publishes admitted or entering students' ranges, comparisons use federal SAT/ACT ranges of students who ENROLLED in Fall 2024 (College Scorecard), with no GPA. Enrolled ranges can differ from the ranges of admitted students.
• A selective school (admits under 20%) was held at target: These colleges admit fewer than 20% of applicants, so we never call them likely based on numbers alone.
• Score below range at a test-optional school: These colleges are test-optional and your score is below their middle range. You can choose to apply without it; check each college's policy for your application year.
• Score entered for a school that doesn't consider tests: These colleges do not consider SAT or ACT scores, so only your GPA (if entered) was compared.
• Student GPA basis differs from the source's: These colleges publish GPA ranges on a different basis (weighted vs unweighted) from the GPA you entered, so your GPA wasn't compared there.
• A summer-start comparison is shown: Some Florida public universities admit a summer-start class with different ranges. Summer results are shown separately and depend on each university's summer program.
• An out-of-state public college is on the list: Public colleges report net price by income only for in-state students, so for these out-of-state publics we show the published out-of-state sticker price (cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition), before any grants or scholarships.
• No net price reported for the family's income band: These colleges don't report a net price for your income range, so we used their average net price for all aided students.
• A school is missing graduation, earnings or debt data: These colleges don't report some outcomes; each missing factor counts as a neutral 5 out of 10 so the gap neither helps nor hurts them.
• A school mostly awards associate degrees or certificates: These colleges award mostly associate degrees or certificates. Their averages (cost, graduation, earnings) include those students, not only bachelor's students.
• We picked a school for a closely related major: We picked these colleges because few nearby colleges offer your exact major; they offer a closely related one. Check that the program fits your plans.
• We picked an out-of-state school offering the exact major: We picked these out-of-state colleges because no in-area college offers your exact major. Out-of-state prices are higher and aid may differ.
• Always (reports): State grants and scholarships (such as Florida Bright Futures) and college-specific merit aid are not included yet, so many families will pay less than shown.
• A school's state data needed cleaning: We corrected or left out values the publisher reported in error. Each change is listed with the school.

Data sources

Shown whenever a college in your results uses the source; federal sources appear on every report. Editions, years and update schedules: sources.json.

• College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) (U.S. Department of Education; live: June 2026 release (files dated 06102026)). Cost, net price, graduation, earnings and debt come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Net prices are averages after grants for first-time, full-time students who received federal aid, so your price will differ. Earnings and debt cover only students who received federal aid; earnings are medians and don't predict any one person's pay. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Admissions (ADM) (NCES, U.S. Department of Education; live: ADM2023 (Fall 2023)). Applicant counts and test policies come from IPEDS admissions data (Fall 2023), the newest the government has published. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Completions (C_A) (NCES; live: C2024_A (2023-24)). Degree-mix labels count each college's undergraduate awards by level (IPEDS completions, 2023-24). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) (NCES; live: GR2023). Graduation rates are for first-time, full-time students finishing within six years. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Institutional Characteristics (IC, IC_AY) (NCES; live: IC2024 / IC2023_AY). Cost line items (books, housing, personal costs) are each college's own estimates reported to IPEDS (2023-24). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Directory (HD) (NCES; live: HD2024). College names and locations come from the IPEDS directory (2024). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Fall Enrollment (EF A/C) (NCES; live: EF2023A / EF2023C). Enrollment and students' home states come from IPEDS fall enrollment (Fall 2023). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• IPEDS Finance (F) (NCES; live: F2223). Endowment figures come from IPEDS finance data (fiscal 2022-23). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; live: May 2025). Career wages are for all workers in a job, not only recent graduates (BLS, May 2025). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• BLS Employment Projections (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; live: 2025-35). Job growth figures are BLS 10-year projections (2025-35), not guarantees. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor (O*NET); live: O*NET 31.0). Occupation information from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). License: CC BY 4.0 (attribution required).
• Census American Community Survey 5-year (U.S. Census Bureau; live: ACS 2024 5-year). Local demographics come from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• BEA Regional Price Parities (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; live: 2024). Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA regional price parities (2024). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• HUD Fair Market Rents (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; live: FY2027). Rents are HUD fair market rents (FY2027), a benchmark, not listings. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (U.S. Census Bureau (LEHD); live: R2026Q2). Census PSEO earnings (experimental) are used only where a college participates. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• Urban Institute Education Data Portal (FSA, default rates, EADA) (Urban Institute; live: FSA 2021; default cohort 2017; EADA 2021). Loan default rates and athletics data: Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0). License: ODC-By 1.0 (attribution required).
• FEMA National Risk Index (FEMA; live: December 2025 (1.20.0)). Hazard ratings are FEMA National Risk Index county ratings. License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (NOAA NCEI; live: 1991-2020). Climate figures are NOAA 30-year normals (1991-2020). License: Public domain (U.S. government work).
• Florida State University System Counselor Guide (admitted-student matrix) (State University System of Florida (matrix by FIU); live: 2026-27 guide (admitted 2026)). For Florida public universities, admission comparisons use the middle 50% of ADMITTED students from the State University System's 2026-27 Counselor Guide. Their GPAs are weighted and recalculated by each university from core courses, so your school's weighted GPA may differ. Summer-start admits are shown separately. License: Public publication; facts cited with source.
• Virginia SCHEV B10 First-Time Freshman Profile (State Council of Higher Education for Virginia; live: 2025-26 and 2026-27). For Virginia colleges, comparisons use GPA and test-score percentiles of students who ENROLLED in fall 2026, as reported to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), not of everyone admitted. SCHEV doesn't say whether GPAs are weighted, so a GPA above a college's range doesn't by itself make it likely. We drop ranges reported by fewer than 20 students and correct obvious source errors; each correction is listed below. License: Public state data; facts cited with source.
• University of California first-year admit data (each campus) (University of California Office of the President; live: Fall 2026 admits). For University of California campuses, comparisons use the middle 50% GPA of students ADMITTED for fall 2026, published by UC. UC calculates its own weighted GPA (grades 10-11, honors points capped), which can be lower than your school's weighted GPA, and does not consider SAT or ACT scores. License: Public publication; facts cited with source.
• Federal enrolled-student test ranges (fallback). Where no state publishes admitted or entering students' ranges, comparisons use federal SAT/ACT ranges of students who ENROLLED in Fall 2024 (College Scorecard), with no GPA. Enrolled ranges can differ from the ranges of admitted students.