Transparency

    How we fund independent college research

    Clear boundaries between verified data, editorial judgment, and optional commercial services, so students always know what is fact, opinion, or sponsorship.

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    Transparency & trust

    Independent college discovery, clearly funded

    CollegesRef is an independent college discovery platform. We publish verified federal data and separate editorial interpretation so students can research with confidence — whether or not an institution has a commercial relationship with us.

    Where our revenue comes from today

    College research, matching, tools and guides are free. Our revenue from students and families comes from optional, one-time paid reports. What colleges and partners may pay for is listed in the next section.

    • The Premium Fit Report and the Aid & Loan Plan: prices are shown on the pricing page before checkout, each has a public sample, and both carry a 14-day refund
    • No display ads run on CollegesRef today. If we add them, they will be labeled as ads and kept off tools, the quiz, checkout, reports and account pages
    • We do not earn commissions on loans, scholarships or test prep, and no one pays to be listed in rankings, matches or scholarship results

    What institutions may pay for

    Optional commercial relationships never replace verified federal data or editorial judgment. Partners may pay only for clearly labeled services.

    • Optional lead delivery when a student explicitly requests contact and meets fit thresholds
    • Sponsored content clearly labeled as commercial — never mixed with editorial rankings
    • Premium tools for counselors and independent educational consultants

    Recommendations and data

    Fit comes first, then consent

    What institutions cannot buy

    Rankings, fit scores, and factual records are firewall-separated from revenue. No institution can purchase preferential treatment.

    • Higher category assignment or fit scores
    • Better organic ranking in similarity or quiz match lists
    • Removal or suppression of trade-offs or low-fit assessments
    • Changes to verified IPEDS or College Scorecard facts

    How recommendations work

    Quiz identity types, category tags, and institution fit scores are calculated with deterministic rules before any partner eligibility check. Partner status is evaluated only after fit is computed — never the other way around.

    When we share student data

    We share information with an institution only after explicit, granular consent on a lead request form. Consent text is versioned and auditable. Students may withdraw consent per request at any time.

    Related policies

    Our commercial model is designed to stay separate from editorial decisions and verified data layers.

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