NAICU Washington Update

Updated College Scorecard Restores National Comparison Data

February 11, 2022

The Department of Education is once again including national comparison data in its recently-updated College Scorecard.  Adding this comparison data back to the Scorecard is notable because it has the potential to provide consumers with a misleading or incomplete impression of an institution’s value. 

Previously, the Trump Administration removed College Scorecard indicators that showed how individual colleges compared to the national median with respect to cost, graduation rates, earnings, and other factors. Given the vast diversity among institutions – in terms of size, type, location, mission, selectivity, populations served, programs offered and more – the Trump Administration determined that national data comparisons could paint an inaccurate picture of an individual institution’s quality. The Biden Administration, however, has restored this feature. 

On a positive note, the Biden Administration has continued to update the Scorecard with additional data that gives a fuller picture of student success. For example, the site now includes added information about the graduation rates of Pell Grant recipients, admissions testing requirements, and additional years of post-graduation data. 

The Scorecard is a consumer information tool that provides students and their families with data that can be used to evaluate institutions of higher education.

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