Data

    Reuse our data, with a link back

    CollegesRef's own tables, charts, rankings and CSV files are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). You can use them for free, for any purpose, as long as you credit CollegesRef with a visible link to the page you used.

    Licence terms

    What you can do

    • Quote any figure, finding or ranking from a CollegesRef data story, state data page, college comparison or the cost estimator.
    • Republish our tables and CSV files in full or in part, in print or online, including in commercial work.
    • Embed our maps, charts and comparison cards with the embed code on each page.
    • Make your own charts or analyses from our CSV files.

    What we ask in return

    • Credit CollegesRef and link to the page the figures came from. In print, give the address in full.
    • Say if you changed or recalculated the figures, so readers do not mistake your numbers for ours.
    • Do not suggest that CollegesRef endorses you, your product or your conclusions.

    A credit line that works

    Source: CollegesRef analysis of U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data (link to the page you used)

    Every data story, comparison and the cost estimator has a ready-made citation with the exact page address. The embed codes already carry a visible source line, so an embedded chart or card needs no extra credit.

    The federal data underneath

    The college figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS. As a U.S. government work they are in the public domain, and you can use them without asking anyone. The licence above covers CollegesRef's selection, calculations, medians, rankings and charts.

    Questions about a figure, or need a cut we have not published? Email [email protected] or see Data and press.