Minute one: find the years
Every figure on a college page covers a specific period, and those periods differ from each other. Before reading any number, note which year it covers. A tuition figure and an earnings figure on the same page can be more than a decade apart. If a page does not tell you the period, treat the number with suspicion.
Minute two: cost, in your band
Skip the average net price and go straight to the income band closest to your family’s income. Then check whether the figure is for in-state or out-of-state students, and whether it is net price or total cost of attendance. Those two distinctions change the number more than anything else on the page.
Minute three: completion, with the cohort in mind
- Check the graduation rate against 150% of normal time — six years for a bachelor’s degree.
- Look at how many students were actually in the cohort. A rate based on 80 students is a different claim from one based on 4,000.
- Look at retention as well: whether first-year students return is a simpler and often more informative signal.
Minute four: earnings, against the benchmark
Compare the median earnings figure with the high-school-graduate benchmark shown alongside it. Note the gap and its direction. Then check how many of the institution’s students the figure covers — a strong median based on a third of the student body is a weaker signal than a moderate one based on nearly all of it.
Minute five: count the blanks
Blanks are information. A page with many missing values is usually describing a small institution, a specialised one, or a programme mix the federal collection does not cover well. That is a reason to ask the college directly, not a reason to assume the worst — and definitely not a reason to read the blanks as zeros.