The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard is a web tool allowing users to access an array of information about the quality of colleges and universities throughout the country. It shows how much students earn 10 years after enrolling, which helps them evaluate institutions and decide how much debt to assume. Ranking Your College: Where You Go and What You Make ranks colleges and universities strictly on earnings, but then tests how sensitive the ranking of a university is when adjustments are made to earnings. The data attempts to help answer several questions: How important is student academic preparation? How much are average earnings skewed by major choice and by the selection of majors available at a particular university? What is the likelihood of graduate degree attainment?
