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Headline figures from every CollegesRef data story, how to cite them, the reuse licence and where to download or embed the numbers. For reporters, researchers, librarians and school counselors.
- Press contact
- [email protected]
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 with a link back; federal data is public domain
- Source
- College Scorecard and IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education
- Updates
- Recomputed weekly; last change November 15, 2026; next check November 16, 2026
Latest data stories
The lead figure and first finding of each story, straight from the published snapshot. Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
- The sticker-to-net-price gap by state
$18,013Median gap
Across 1,466 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges, the median cost of attendance is $40,316 and the median average net price is $19,834. The median college's gap between the two is $18,013.
- The middle-income squeeze: what families earning $75,000 to $110,000 pay over the bracket below
$3,809Median jump
At the median of 1,335 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges, aided students from families earning $75,001–$110,000 pay $3,809 a year more than those from families earning $48,001–$75,000 ($20,601 against $16,497).
- Four-year colleges where families earning under $30,000 pay less than $5,000 a year
79Colleges under $5,000
Of 1,347 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges that report a net price for families earning $0–$30,000, 79 (6%) charge those families less than $5,000 a year on average after grants. The median college charges them $15,411.
- How many years of earnings it takes to pay for a four-year degree, by state
1.31 yearsMedian payback
At the median of 1,355 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges, four years at the average net price cost 1.31 years of former students' median earnings ten years after they enrolled ($19,916 a year against $59,737 in earnings).
- Graduate debt vs earnings: where borrowing is heaviest relative to pay
36%Debt as share of pay
At the median of 1,349 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges, graduates' median federal loan debt equals 36% of former students' median annual earnings ten years after enrolling ($21,500 against $59,860).
- Which majors pay back best at public colleges: earnings against debt by field of study
3.14×Median ratio
Across 11,816 bachelor's programs at 548 public four-year colleges, the median program's graduates earn 3.14 times their median federal loan debt four years after graduating ($58,454 against $19,500).
- The best-value college in every state
3.03×Median ratio
Across 767 four-year colleges that graduate at least 50% of students, former students' median earnings ten years after enrolling are 3.03 times the average yearly net price at the median college ($65,780 against $22,146).
- What low-income students pay against what graduates earn, by state
1.01 yearsMedian payback
For students from families earning under $30,000, four years at the median of 1,338 four-year colleges cost 1.01 years of former students' median earnings ($15,411 a year against $59,656), against 1.32 years at the average net price for all aided students.
- Majors with the fastest payback: four years of net price against graduates' earnings
1.19 yearsMedian payback
Across 23,320 bachelor's programs at 1,338 four-year colleges, four years at the college's average net price cost 1.19 years of graduates' median earnings four years after finishing, for the median program ($17,623 a year against $59,565).
About CollegesRef
- CollegesRef is an independent college research site. How it is funded, and how that is kept apart from the data, is set out on the pages linked here.
- Every figure in the data stories comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS. The stories select colleges, compute medians and rank states or majors; missing federal values are left out, never filled in.
- Each story publishes its exact rules, thresholds and exclusions, and a CSV of every figure it shows.
How to cite
Each story has its own citation with the title and update date; for a general credit, use this line and link to the page you quote. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a visible link to this page.