674 schools · Compass Score
Best value colleges
Top: United States Merchant Marine Academy · Value grade A+ · Top 1%
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Every accredited four-year college in the U.S., with what families actually pay after aid, how graduates do, and honest chances of getting in. Every number comes from federal data and links to its source.
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- Find my schoolA few questions, then a shortlist made for you
- CollegesAll 2,310, rated on academics and value
- RankingsBest for academics, value and outcomes
- Honor RollColleges in the top 10% by Compass Score (grades A+ and A)
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Cost and outcomes, in one look.
Compass Scores, cost after aid, graduation, earnings and admission rates for every college, each linked to its federal source.
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Every grade has a source
Tap any score and see the federal data it came from.
Outcomes, students and cost
One Compass Score, with every part shown so you can weigh them yourself.
What you’ll really pay
Cost after grants for families at your income, and what graduates earn and owe.
Popular lists
Ranked by the same published rules as every school page, with the criteria shown.
682 schools · Compass Score
Lowest net price for middle-income families
Top: University of Chicago · $549 a year for families earning $30,000–$75,000
1,068 schools · Compass Score
Best colleges for nursing
Top: Johns Hopkins University
749 schools · Compass Score
Best colleges for engineering
Top: California Institute of Technology
906 schools · Compass Score
Best small colleges
Top: Curtis Institute of Music
681 schools · Compass Score
Colleges with the best earnings for the price
Top: CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · Earnings are 6.3× the four-year net price
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Start my listOur formula
The Compass Score
Our own formula weighs what the best-known college rankings weigh most: outcomes (graduation, retention and earnings), the entering students (test scores and selectivity), cost (debt and price after aid) and teaching (class size), all from federal data.
40%Outcomes40%Students20%Cost and teachingOne letter gradeCompass grade
Top-rated in Ohio
Schools in Ohio first, then across the country. The full rankings cover every state.
- Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 6%
- Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 6%
- Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 6%
- Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 7%
- Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 8%
- Compass ScoreExcellent · Top 12%
2,310accredited four-year colleges
How we rate
Every grade is computed by a published formula from the U.S. Department of Education’s own data: graduation and retention, entering students’ preparation, class sizes, spending on teaching, what families pay after grants, earnings and debt. Where the federal data runs out, we say Not enough information rather than guess.
No ads, no paid placements, and no money from the colleges we rate. How we rate.