Data Resources
How CampusPin sources, verifies, and explains the college data on the platform
CampusPin combines federal datasets, institutional websites, and editorial review into a single, navigable view of U.S. colleges and universities. This hub explains exactly where each number comes from, how often it refreshes, what happens when data is missing, and how to flag anything that looks wrong.
Primary sources
IPEDS · Scorecard · Clery · UCR
Schools covered
3,800+
States covered
50 + DC
Field reference
/data-dictionary
Why this page exists
Trust is a precondition for a useful college search
A college discovery platform is only as useful as the data it shows. If a tuition figure is two years stale, a family makes a decision on a number that no longer applies. If an acceptance rate is missing without explanation, a student loses confidence in everything else on the page.
CampusPin tries to be honest about both the strengths and the limits of public college data. This hub links every public claim we make about our sourcing, refresh cadence, missing-data handling, and corrections workflow to the underlying detail page, so a reader (or an AI assistant citing CampusPin) can verify the claim without having to take it on faith.
At a glance
Where every field on a CampusPin profile actually comes from
CampusPin is a federated view, not an original survey. The platform compiles, normalises, and displays data that institutions report to federal authorities, plus a small set of public sources that fill gaps. The table below lists the primary source by field family.
| Field family | Primary source | Refresh cadence | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition (in-state, out-of-state) | IPEDS / NCES College Navigator | Annual (lag 1–2 academic years) | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Net price (overall + by income band) | College Scorecard | Annual (lag 1–2 cycles) | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Acceptance rate, SAT/ACT range | IPEDS Admissions component | Annual | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Enrollment, student-faculty ratio | IPEDS Enrollment component | Annual | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Graduation rate, retention rate | IPEDS Outcomes / Scorecard | Annual | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Programs offered, CIP codes | IPEDS Completions component | Annual | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Campus security incidents | Clery Act annual security reports | Annual (Oct deadline) | Each institution + Dept. of Ed. |
| Area crime context | FBI Uniform Crime Report | Annual | FBI |
| Common App acceptance | Common Application member directory | Annual | The Common Application, Inc. |
| School name, location, control, type | IPEDS Institutional Characteristics | Annual | U.S. Dept. of Education |
| Logos, photography, claimed-profile copy | Institutional websites + verified claims | Continuous (when submitted) | Each institution |
Field-level definitions, units, and edge cases are documented at /data-dictionary. The full methodology — including how CampusPin normalises units across sources and how conflicts between sources are resolved — is at /data-methodology.
What CampusPin does NOT do with data
What CampusPin will not do, on principle
CampusPin does not publish opinion-based rankings. Ranking reduces a multidimensional fit decision to a single ordinal list, which rarely matches a specific student's constraints. The platform surfaces institutions filter-by-filter; users decide what "best" means for their situation.
CampusPin does not invent numbers. If a field is missing from every source we consult, the field is omitted from the profile rather than estimated or filled with a placeholder. The missing-data policy and its rationale is at /data-resources/how-campuspin-handles-missing-data.
CampusPin does not present itself as a replacement for the institution. The platform is a discovery layer; final admissions, tuition, aid, deadlines, and program details must be verified with each institution before any decision. Every profile carries this disclaimer.
CampusPin does not sell or share visitor data with third parties for advertising or admissions-marketing purposes. The platform's data flows are documented in the privacy policy.
Always verify with the institution
Tuition, deadlines, aid policies, program offerings, and admissions requirements change every year. CampusPin's figures lag the most recent academic year by one to two cycles depending on the source. Before applying or making a final decision, confirm current details on the institution's official website or with its admissions / financial-aid office directly.
How to read a CampusPin profile responsibly
Four habits that make CampusPin more useful
These habits apply to any data-driven college search tool — they are particularly important when comparing schools across different sources of truth.
- 1Check the source-of-year footnote on cost figures. If a tuition number is from two cycles back, treat it as directional and confirm the current figure with the institution.
- 2Read net price alongside tuition, not instead of it. Net price is the average price after grants and scholarships — your specific situation will differ. Always run the institution's own Net Price Calculator with real family numbers.
- 3When a field is blank, do not assume "low" or "zero". Blank means "not reported in any source we trust", which is information itself. See /data-resources/how-campuspin-handles-missing-data for the full policy.
- 4When two schools look very different on a single column, dig into the data dictionary at /data-dictionary to confirm both schools report that field the same way. Methodology differences cause apparent gaps that are not real.
Frequently asked questions
Answers students and families ask first
- Where does CampusPin get its college data?
- CampusPin sources institutional data from public federal datasets — primarily IPEDS / NCES College Navigator, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, Clery Act annual security reports, and the FBI Uniform Crime Report — supplemented by official institution websites and direct submissions from claimed institutions. The full source-by-field breakdown is at /data-methodology and the table above on this page.
- How often does CampusPin update college information?
- The cadence depends on the source. IPEDS and Scorecard data refresh once per year, with a 1–2 cycle lag versus the current academic year. Clery security reports refresh annually after the October deadline. Claimed-institution updates (logos, photography, verified copy) can land continuously. The detailed cadence is at /data-resources/how-campuspin-updates-college-information.
- What if a field is missing from a school's CampusPin profile?
- Missing means the institution did not report that field in any source CampusPin trusts. CampusPin omits the field rather than estimating or filling with a placeholder, because guessing a number is worse than not having one. Full policy at /data-resources/how-campuspin-handles-missing-data.
- Does CampusPin publish rankings?
- No. CampusPin is filter-first, not ranking-first. Schools surface based on the criteria a student actually searches for (cost, programs, location, fit). There are no opinion-based "best college" lists ordered by editorial judgement.
- Does CampusPin replace official college websites?
- No. CampusPin is a discovery and comparison layer. Final admissions, tuition, financial aid, deadlines, and program details must always be verified with each institution's official website or directly with its admissions / financial-aid office before applying.
- How do I report a data error or suggest a correction?
- Use the contact form at /contact and include the school name, the field you believe is wrong, the value you see on CampusPin, and the corrected value with a source URL we can verify (institutional website, IPEDS, Scorecard, etc.). The editorial team reviews every correction submission; the process is documented in /editorial-policy.
Important note
CampusPin compiles data from public datasets and institutional sources. Figures lag the current academic year by one to two cycles depending on source. Always verify final admissions, tuition, aid, deadlines, and program details with each institution before applying or making a decision.
Keep exploring CampusPin
Read the full data methodology
Source-by-field detail, normalisation rules, conflict resolution.
Open the data dictionary
Plain-language field definitions for every profile column.
Read the editorial policy
How CampusPin writes, reviews, and corrects content.
See current coverage stats
Tier breakdown, per-state coverage, claimed-profile counts.
How CampusPin uses college data
What we do with each source after we ingest it.
How CampusPin updates information
Refresh cadence by source, claimed-profile updates, healing jobs.
How CampusPin handles missing data
Why blank means blank, not zero.
Suggest a correction
Tell us what looks wrong; we review every submission.