Quality Score Methodology
Our quality score is a 0-100 composite that summarizes key indicators of institutional quality. It applies to schools only — registered apprenticeships are evaluated differently.
Score Components
The percentage of first-time, full-time students who complete their program within 150% of normal time. Sourced from IPEDS.
The percentage of first-time students who return for their second year. A strong indicator of student satisfaction and institutional support.
Whether the institution holds recognized accreditation. Accredited schools receive the full weight; unaccredited schools receive zero for this component.
More selective institutions receive a modest boost. Open-admission schools are not penalized — they receive a neutral score for this component.
Lower ratios indicate more individualized instruction. Institutions with ratios below 15:1 receive the highest marks.
Lower net price (after grants and scholarships) relative to peers in the same state and institution level. Schools with higher financial aid availability score better.
A small adjustment based on control type. For-profit institutions receive a -5 point adjustment based on historically lower student outcomes in federal data. This adjustment is already factored into the final score.
Score Tiers
80-100
60-79
40-59
Below 40
Important Notes
Null values are excluded, not penalized
If a data point is missing from federal sources, we exclude that component and reweight the remaining factors. A missing graduation rate does not count as zero.
Apprenticeships have no quality score
Registered apprenticeships are regulated by the Department of Labor. Their quality signal is federal registration itself, not a computed score. We display “Registered Apprenticeship” as a trust indicator instead.
Scores are recalculated annually
When new IPEDS data is released each fall, we recompute all quality scores. Year-over-year changes reflect updated federal data, not formula changes.