Education
Checking a school's record before you enrol
Several public datasets describe outcomes, and all of them are free.
Federal data covers completion rates, typical costs after aid, median earnings of former students by programme, and borrowing levels. The College Scorecard presents it in a form built for comparison, and it draws on reported data rather than marketing.
Completion rates are worth reading carefully, because they are measured over defined periods and for defined groups of students. A low rate is a question to ask the school about rather than a verdict, and the answer is often informative either way.
Accreditation status, including any action taken against an institution, is published in the Department of Education's database. So are records of schools under heightened financial monitoring, which is relevant to anyone starting a multi-year programme.
State attorneys general and the consumer protection agencies publish enforcement actions. Searching an institution's name alongside those bodies takes a minute and occasionally returns something that changes the decision.
What to do next. Look the school up on the College Scorecard and in the accreditation database before enrolling.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.