Research & Data

Verified higher-education research

CampusPin Research turns trusted federal data into clear, reproducible analyses of college affordability, access, and availability, every report sourced, dated, and downloadable so you can check the math.

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Verified & reproducible

Sources

Federal + institutional

Downloads

Open data (CSV)

Rankings

None, sourced summaries

How we publish research

Every CampusPin report is built from a verified, reproducible dataset with a named source and reporting year, never from estimates, opinion, or unverified internal assignments.
Each report shows its methodology, limitations, and a downloadable dataset so anyone can check the math.
We do not publish rankings or "best college" lists; we publish defensible, sourced summaries.
Findings that cannot be reproduced from the published data are not published.

For journalists & researchers

Use our data

Every published report includes a suggested citation, a downloadable dataset, and a clear methodology. You are welcome to cite CampusPin and link to the report or dataset URL.

Questions, data requests, or corrections? See the press & media page, methodology, or report a correction.

Published reports

Library last updated August 19, 2026

College cost & outcomes

How what a college costs lines up with graduation and earnings, nationally, within each sector, and by state. These reports show association, never a ranking or a causal claim.

Outcomes

Work Without a Bachelor’s Degree Is 70% of U.S. Jobs. Here Is What It Actually Pays

Occupations most people enter without a bachelor's degree account for 70% of U.S. employment. Only 1.1% of that work sits in occupations paying $100,000 or more, yet 29% of it pays above the typical job in its own state, and the states where that happens most are not the ones the salary lists name.

Reporting year May 2025

Outcomes

Is Your Major a Certificate or a Degree? For 17 Fields, It Depends on the State

Across 5,761 field-and-state combinations, what credential a field awards is mostly a property of the field, not the state: grouping by field accounts for 77% of the variation and grouping by state 5%. But 17 fields swing by more than 50 percentage points depending on where you study.

Reporting year 2023-24

Outcomes

Does a Pricier College Pay Off? Cost vs. Graduation and Earnings

Across 3,258 U.S. colleges with cost and graduation data in CampusPin's snapshot, higher-net-price institutions tend to post higher median graduation rates (34% in the lowest cost band vs 72% in the highest) and higher median earnings, an association driven largely by selectivity and sector, not proof that paying more buys a better outcome.

Data snapshot 2026-06-17

Outcomes

Cost vs. Outcomes Within Each College Sector: Where the Price–Graduation Link Holds, and Where It Disappears

A companion to our cost-vs-outcomes report: splitting the same 3,258 colleges by sector shows the headline "higher price, higher graduation" pattern is largely between sectors. Within the two-year sectors it is flat or slightly negative (public two-year 34% to 32% across cost bands); within four-year sectors a selectivity gradient remains.

Data snapshot 2026-06-17

Outcomes

Cost and Outcomes by State: How College Net Price, Graduation, and Earnings Vary Across the Country

Across 3,254 U.S. colleges in CampusPin's snapshot, the median net price is $16,256, the median graduation rate is 49%, and median ten-year earnings are $45,066. State medians vary widely (graduation runs about 29% to 59% among the 37 jurisdictions meeting the sample threshold), reflecting each state's mix of institutions, not a ranking of state quality.

Data snapshot 2026-06-18

Access & availability

Where colleges are and how many there are by control and type, and how community-college access and cost vary by state.

Access

Does Choosing a Major Narrow Your College List?

Across 9,952 field-and-state combinations in the federal completions data, only 2,491 resolve to a college list that is materially different from every other field in the same state. For most fields, the major a student picks barely changes which colleges are on the table.

Reporting year 2023-24

Access

Distribution of CampusPin-Covered Institutions by State, Control & Type

How CampusPin's 3,798 covered U.S. colleges and universities break down by state, control (public or private), and institution type (university or community college).

Data snapshot 2026-06-14

Access

Community College Access & Affordability by State

Community colleges are 1,250 of the 3,798 U.S. institutions in CampusPin's dataset (32.9%) and the most affordable on-ramp to higher education, with median published public two-year tuition of $4,288 in-state, but availability ranges from 3.3% to 61.8% of a state's institutions.

Data snapshot 2026-06-14

What CampusPin Research draws on

Last verified: June 14, 2026

CampusPin Research is built on public federal datasets and each institution's own published information. Specific figures in each report cite the source appropriate to them.

Sources used across this page

Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.

  • IPEDS / NCES College Navigator

    Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.

  • U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

    Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.

  • Institutional websites

    Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.

Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.

MethodologyData dictionaryReport a correction

Suggested citation

CampusPin. CampusPin Research & Data. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/research