Data Sources

College Scorecard

U.S. Department of Education

Comprehensive institutional metrics including cost, completion, earnings, debt, and outcomes.

• Website: collegescorecard.ed.gov
• API: collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/api/
• Bulk Data: collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/

Use for: ROI, earnings, debt, program outcomes, time-to-completion

Update Frequency: Monthly (API), Annually (bulk data)

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System)

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Massive database on US colleges and vocational institutions with institutional characteristics, enrollment, finances, graduation rates, and more.

• Website: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
• Data Tools: nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data
• Access Database: Download Access Database

Use for: Institutional characteristics, enrollment, finances, graduation/retention, prices, student aid

Update Frequency: Annually (data released each fall)

NCES (National Center for Education Statistics)

U.S. Department of Education

Principal federal education statistics agency providing comprehensive education data and research.

• Website: nces.ed.gov
• College Navigator: nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

Use for: Wider educational context, historical trends, related datasets

Update Frequency: Varies by dataset

O*NET (Occupational Information Network)

U.S. Department of Labor

Detailed occupational data including outlook, tasks, skills, and education requirements.

• Website: onetonline.org
• Database Downloads: onetcenter.org/database.html
• Data.gov Entry: Data.gov Dataset

Use for: Job requirements, skills, education & training linkages, occupational taxonomy, AI exposure analysis

Update Frequency: As needed (less frequent updates)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

U.S. Department of Labor

Federal statistics linking education, wages, and employment.

• Website: bls.gov
• OEWS (Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics): bls.gov/oes/
• Employment Projections: bls.gov/emp/data/occupational-data.htm
• Occupational Outlook Handbook: bls.gov/ooh/

Use for: Wage distributions, job openings, growth projections, education level correlations

Update Frequency: Annually (OEWS data updated yearly)

Federal Student Aid Data

U.S. Department of Education

Includes financial aid distributions, cohort default rates, Title IV statistics.

• Data.gov Catalog: ED Data Catalog

Use for: Loan/grant distributions, default and repayment trends

State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS)

Various State Agencies

State-level outcomes data and education-to-work pipelines (varies by state).

Use for: State-level outcomes, education-to-work pipelines

Note: Availability and quality vary significantly by state