How College In 2 builds its comparisons

Program eligibility

Public program listings are limited to undergraduate certificates or diplomas and associate degrees with program-level one-year earnings data. We also require current IPEDS award-level evidence at the same institution and field of study before publishing a program.

Graduate earnings

When available, the primary program earnings measure is median earnings one year after completion. Five-year program earnings are shown separately when available. Missing or privacy-suppressed values are not converted to zero.

Cost

Annual net price is the school's average annual net price after grants and scholarships, as reported in federal data. Estimated total program cost multiplies that annual figure by the estimated program length. It is an estimate, not a tuition quote or individual financial-aid offer.

Value labels

Program value compares one-year graduate earnings with estimated total program cost. Outstanding Value is above 5×; Good Value is 1.5× through 5×; Poor Value is below 1.5×. Programs without enough information are not rated.

Career fit

Work-characteristic information is based on occupational data associated with a field of study. It describes broad occupational patterns and should not be read as a guarantee about a particular job.

Sources

Primary sources include the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and U.S. Department of Labor occupational data. Source years and availability vary by measure.

Corrections

Federal datasets can be revised and schools can change programs between releases. We use validation checks and preserve missing values rather than guessing. Always confirm current program details with the institution.