How We Rank Colleges
DeepColleges uses a four-dimension Decision Score framework. Unlike traditional rankings that rely on reputation surveys, every component is calculated from verifiable federal data using an open formula. You can audit every number on this page — and if you disagree with a weight, you can tell us exactly where and why.
Decision Score: The Four Dimensions
Every school receives four scores, each ranging from 0 to 100. These are not combined into a single number by default — because the "best" school depends on what you prioritize. On our rankings page, we sort by Overall Fit, but all four scores are displayed for every school.
Overall Fit (0–100)
Academic quality, student success, and value. The broadest measure of whether a school delivers on its promise.
ROI Score (0–100)
Whether graduates earn enough to justify the cost. Pure financial return on investment.
Transfer Score (0–100)
How accessible is this school for transfer students? Based on transfer acceptance data vs. freshman rates.
AP Impact (0–100)
How much do APs actually matter at this school? Derived from CDS admission factor weights.
Overall Fit Score — The Formula
Overall Fit is a weighted composite of four measurable factors. Every school starts at a base score of 50.
| Component | Points | Data Source | How It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation Rate | 0–25 | IPEDS | 6-year graduation rate mapped linearly. 100% grad rate = 25 points. |
| Earnings Potential | 0–25 | College Scorecard | Median earnings 10 years post-enrollment. Scale: $30K = 0 pts, $80K = 12.5 pts, $120K+ = 25 pts. |
| Value (Debt-to-Earnings) | 0–25 | Scorecard + IPEDS | Median debt divided by 6-year median earnings. Lower ratio = higher score. Ratio < 0.2 = 25 pts, > 0.8 = 0 pts. |
| Selectivity Bonus | 0–10 | IPEDS | Applies only to schools with < 20% acceptance rate. More selective = higher bonus, up to 10 pts at near-zero admission rates. |
Range: 50–135, clamped to 0–100
ROI Score — The Formula
ROI measures whether a degree pays for itself. We calculate a 10-year return on investment by comparing total cost against total earnings.
| Input | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Annual Net Cost | College Scorecard | Net price for middle-income families ($48K–$75K or $75K–$110K bracket) |
| Total Cost | Calculated | Annual net cost × 4 years |
| 10-Year Earnings | College Scorecard | Median earnings 10 years post-enrollment × 10 |
Scoring: ROI ≤ 0% → 10 pts | 0–500% → 20 + ROI×8 | 500–1000% → 60 + (ROI−5)×4 | 1000–2000% → 80 + (ROI−10)×1.5 | 2000%+ → 95
If net price data is unavailable, the school receives a default score of 50.
Transfer Friendliness — The Formula
This score measures how accessible a school is for transfer students — an important but often overlooked metric.
| Scenario | Formula |
|---|---|
| Transfer-in rate available (IPEDS) | Score = 10 + transfer_rate × 90. Direct linear mapping. |
| No transfer data | Estimated from overall admission rate: Score = admission_rate × 1.5 + 20. Transfer is typically easier than freshman admission. |
| No data at all | Default: 50 |
AP Impact — The Formula
This score tells you how much AP coursework actually matters in admissions and credit at each school. It's derived from the Common Data Set Section C7, where schools self-report how they weight each admission factor.
| CDS Weight | Points |
|---|---|
| Very Important | 3 |
| Important | 2 |
| Considered | 1 |
| Not Considered | 0 |
Inputs: CDS field "AP/IB/Dual Enrollment courses" weight and "Academic GPA" weight
If CDS data is unavailable, we estimate from selectivity: < 10% acceptance → 80, < 25% → 65, < 50% → 50, 50%+ → 35.
Reach / Match / Safety Classification
On each school page, we classify the school as Reach, Match, or Safety for different academic profiles. This is based on:
- Acceptance rate — the single most predictive metric for admission probability
- SAT/ACT score ranges — 25th and 75th percentile from IPEDS
- CDS admission factor weights — what the school actually says it values (GPA rigor, test scores, essays, extracurriculars)
What CDS Weights Are (and Why They Matter)
The Common Data Set (CDS) is a voluntary survey published by most U.S. colleges. Section C7 asks schools to rate 14 admission factors on a four-point scale: Very Important, Important, Considered, or Not Considered.
These 14 factors include: academic GPA, rigor of secondary school record, class rank, standardized test scores, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, character/personal qualities, first-generation status, alumni/ae relation, interview, work experience, and volunteer work.
We parse and display these weights on every school page because they reveal what admissions offices actually care about — not what their marketing says. For example, some Ivy League schools mark alumni relation as "Not Considered" while others mark it "Considered." That's a material difference for legacy applicants.
Data Sources
| Source | What We Pull | Update Frequency | Access Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| College Scorecard | Admissions, net cost by income bracket, median earnings (6yr + 10yr), completion rates, loan default rates, Pell Grant rates | Annual | REST API via api.data.gov |
| IPEDS | Enrollment, transfer-in rates, demographics, housing capacity, room/board charges, program-level data, SAT/ACT ranges | Annual | Bulk CSV download from NCES |
| Common Data Set | Section C7 admission factor weights (14 factors × 4-point importance scale) | Annual (per school) | PDF parsing from university websites |
Data Pipeline
- Fetch — Python scripts pull raw data from College Scorecard API (api.data.gov) and IPEDS bulk downloads. CDS reports are parsed from individual university websites.
- Enrich — Federal data is merged with CDS weights. Decision Scores are calculated using the formulas above. Narrative text is generated from structured data.
- Validate — Automated checks flag anomalies: missing fields, outlier scores, data freshness issues. Human review for flagged items.
- Generate — 11ty static site generator produces 400+ English pages from structured JSON. i18n pipeline generates 2,000+ additional pages in 5 languages.
- Deploy — Built pages deploy to Cloudflare's edge network (300+ cities). Full rebuild and deploy takes under 60 seconds.
Limitations
No ranking system captures everything. Here's what ours doesn't account for:
- Campus culture and social fit — Whether you'll enjoy your four years there. No dataset measures this.
- Specific department quality — A school's overall score may not reflect the quality of its individual departments. MIT's engineering program and MIT's political science program are not the same thing.
- Location preferences — Some students want a city campus, some want rural. We show location data but don't weight it.
- Extracurricular and research opportunities — Lab access, startup ecosystems, athletic programs — important for many students, but not in our formula.
- Post-COVID data lag — Federal data has a 1–2 year reporting delay. Earnings data reflects graduates from several years ago, not today's job market.
- Earnings ≠ fulfillment — Our ROI score measures financial return. A lower-paying career in teaching or social work may be the right choice for you. We show the numbers; you make the call.
We encourage students to use our data as one input — not the only input — in their college decision. Visit campuses. Talk to current students. Read the CDS yourself. Then come back here and check the numbers.
Version History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| v3.3 | April 2026 | Current version. Expanded from 50 to 100 schools. Added rankings, CDS weights, and deadlines for all new schools. |
| v3.2 | April 2026 | Added CDS Section C7 weight parsing for all 100 schools. Updated to 2023 IPEDS data. |
| v3.1 | March 2026 | Added Transfer Friendliness score. Expanded from 30 to 50 schools. i18n support (6 languages). |
| v3.0 | February 2026 | Complete rebuild on 11ty + Cloudflare Pages. Decision Score framework introduced. |