US college value panel: earnings-vs-debt ROI by institution

Commercial use OKFresh

The full snapshot isn't published yet — check back after the next refresh.Download sample CSV Download sample JSONSample rows only (up to 20) — not the complete dataset.

Intelligent panel built from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard API (keyless, public domain; operating institutions, pulled 2026-09-30): one row per institution (OPEID key) with median earnings 10 years after entry, median completer debt, 1-year repayment rate, tuition, admission rate, enrollment, locale/ownership/degree labels, and derived value metrics — earnings premium (10yr earnings minus debt), debt-to-earnings ratio, payoff multiple, and a documented 0-100 value score (60% earnings level, 40% payoff multiple; renormalized when debt is missing; NULL when earnings are missing) with tiers elite/strong/moderate/weak/unscored, plus state median earnings/debt and institution counts computed from the same snapshot for territory ranking. Sales teams join on state_code (or target OPEID/city/zip5 directly); subscription businesses use it as an education-value feature by state. Caveats: earnings cover federal-aid recipients (includes non-completers) while debt covers completers only; earnings reflect the Scorecard's latest published cohort (~decade of lag); the score compares institutions, not programs.

Source: US College Scorecard value panel (Dept of Education)
Rows: 5,414
Columns: 30
Source cadence: Yearly
Last refreshed: Sep 30, 2026
Theme: education

Column	Type	Description
opeid	integer	Office of Postsecondary Education ID — stable primary key per institution (Scorecard `id`).
institution_name	string	Institution name as published (`school.name`).
city	string	Institution city (`school.city`).
state_code	string	USPS 2-letter state code (`school.state`); join key for territory ranking.
zip5	string	First 5 characters of `school.zip`; join key for local targeting.
country_code	string	ISO alpha-3 country (always USA).
locale_label	string	`school.locale` mapped via the Scorecard codebook: City (Large/Midsize/Small), Suburb (Large/Midsize/Small), Town (Fringe/Distant/Remote), Rural (Fringe/Distant/Remote).
ownership_label	string	`school.ownership` mapped: Public, Private nonprofit, Private for-profit.
predominant_degree_label	string	`school.degrees_awarded.predominant` mapped: Not classified, Predominantly certificate/associate/bachelor's, Entirely graduate.
main_campus	integer	1 if the OPEID is the institution's main campus, else 0 (`school.main_campus`).
student_size	integer	Undergraduate enrollment (`latest.student.size`). NULL when unpublished. (unit: students)
admission_rate	float	Overall admission rate 0-1 (`latest.admissions.admission_rate.overall`). NULL for open-enrollment / non-degree institutions — not zero.
tuition_in_state	float	Published in-state tuition (`latest.cost.tuition.in_state`). (unit: USD)
tuition_out_state	float	Published out-of-state tuition (`latest.cost.tuition.out_of_state`). (unit: USD)
median_debt_completers	float	Median federal loan debt of completers (`latest.aid.median_debt.completers.overall`). (unit: USD)
repayment_rate_1yr	float	Share of completers in active repayment 1 year after entry (API publishes per-1000; converted to 0-1).
median_earnings_6yr	float	Median earnings of federal-aid recipients 6 years after entry. (unit: USD)
median_earnings_10yr	float	Median earnings of federal-aid recipients 10 years after entry (includes non-completers; employed only per Scorecard methodology). (unit: USD)
earnings_premium_10yr	float	median_earnings_10yr minus median_debt_completers: dollars of one year's median earnings remaining after the typical completer's debt. NULL when either leg is missing. (unit: USD)
debt_to_earnings_ratio	float	median_debt_completers / median_earnings_10yr. NULL when either leg is missing.
payoff_multiple	float	median_earnings_10yr / median_debt_completers: how many years of median earnings cover the typical debt. NULL when either leg is missing.
value_score	float	Documented 0-100 ROI score: 100(0.6earn_part + 0.4*mult_part), earn_part = minmax_clip(median_earnings_10yr, 20000, 130000), mult_part = minmax_clip(payoff_multiple, 0, 6). Debt missing -> score over earnings leg alone. Earnings missing -> NULL.
value_tier	string	elite (>=80), strong (>=60), moderate (>=40), weak (<40), unscored (no value_score).
state_median_earnings_10yr	float	Median of median_earnings_10yr across this snapshot's institutions in the row's state_code (territory ranking). (unit: USD)
state_median_debt	float	Median of median_debt_completers across this snapshot's institutions in the row's state_code. (unit: USD)
state_institution_count	integer	Number of panel institutions in the row's state_code. (unit: institutions)
data_vintage	string	Scorecard API release vintage as served on collection date.
source_url	string	Stable Scorecard data documentation landing page.
collected_at	string	Date the API pull was collected (ISO).
row_hash	string	SHA-256 (16 hex chars) of the row payload; changes when any field changes.

First 10 sample rows — a preview, not the complete dataset.

opeid	institution_name	city	state_code	zip5	country_code	locale_label	ownership_label	predominant_degree_label	main_campus	student_size	admission_rate	tuition_in_state	tuition_out_state	median_debt_completers	repayment_rate_1yr	median_earnings_6yr	median_earnings_10yr	earnings_premium_10yr	debt_to_earnings_ratio	payoff_multiple	value_score	value_tier	state_median_earnings_10yr	state_median_debt	state_institution_count	data_vintage	source_url	collected_at	row_hash
100,654	Alabama A & M University	Normal	AL	35762	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	6,124	0.58	10,024	18,634	31,000	0.698	27,851	40,628	9,628	0.763	1.311	19.99	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	45703e4d601246c9
100,663	University of Alabama at Birmingham	Birmingham	AL	35294	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	11,635	0.882	9,098	22,562	22,300	—	46,572	54,501	32,201	0.409	2.444	35.11	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	a24f7883a4b1a99f
100,690	Amridge University	Montgomery	AL	36117	USA	City: Midsize	Private nonprofit	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	241	—	7,590	7,590	32,189	0.039	30,377	37,621	5,432	0.856	1.169	17.4	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	2e9071713876ab07
100,706	University of Alabama in Huntsville	Huntsville	AL	35899	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	6,591	0.686	12,132	26,408	20,705	—	55,610	61,767	41,062	0.335	2.983	42.67	moderate	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	b07037d2c7da3103
100,724	Alabama State University	Montgomery	AL	36104	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	3,477	0.976	11,248	19,576	31,000	0.752	27,453	34,502	3,502	0.898	1.113	15.33	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	5e722e541ae707e3
100,751	The University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa	AL	35487	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	33,227	0.767	12,180	34,172	22,750	—	52,233	59,221	36,471	0.384	2.603	38.75	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	2b41706c7facf772
100,760	Central Alabama Community College	Alexander City	AL	35010	USA	Town: Distant	Public	Predominantly certificate-degree	1	1,203	—	5,110	8,980	9,766	0.037	30,739	33,506	23,740	0.291	3.431	30.24	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	607d7e8c98ec5b76
100,812	Athens State University	Athens	AL	35611	USA	Town: Fringe	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	2,446	—	—	—	18,051	0.892	46,266	50,273	32,222	0.359	2.785	35.08	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	345d1aa803170862
100,830	Auburn University at Montgomery	Montgomery	AL	36117	USA	City: Midsize	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	2,542	0.916	9,700	20,668	25,000	0.677	38,216	44,391	19,391	0.563	1.776	25.14	weak	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	f8cd58a0363223ca
100,858	Auburn University	Auburn	AL	36849	USA	City: Small	Public	Predominantly bachelor's-degree	1	26,816	0.459	12,890	34,922	21,000	—	54,629	65,337	44,337	0.321	3.111	45.47	moderate	39,842	21,000	76	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-30	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/	2026-09-30	c035f0ab2653f518

Profiled Oct 1, 2026 from snapshot 20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177

Measured

Completeness: 91%
Rows: 5,414
Columns: 30
Columns with gaps: 13

Column	Missing	Distinct	Range	Distribution
opeidbigint	0%	4,787	100,654 → 49,425,001median 220,397	110 outside 1st–99th percentile
institution_namevarchar	0%	5,405	—	Cortiva Institute6 Academy of Beauty Professionals4 Columbia College4
cityvarchar	0%	2,129	—	Houston52 New York52 Chicago49
state_codevarchar	0%	66	—	CA534 TX356 FL320
zip5varchar	0%	4,175	—	021159 009618 006747
country_codevarchar	0%	1	—	USA5,414
locale_labelvarchar	0%	15	—	Suburb: Large1,185 City: Large1,101 City: Small666
ownership_labelvarchar	0%	3	—	Private for-profit2,002 Public1,971 Private nonprofit1,441
predominant_degree_labelvarchar	0%	5	—	Predominantly certificate-degree2,270 Predominantly bachelor's-degree1,809 Predominantly associate-degree907
main_campusbigint	0%	2	0 → 1median 1
student_sizebigint	8.5%	2,617	0 → 163,164median 733	95 outside 1st–99th percentile
admission_ratedouble	67.3%	1,496	0 → 1median 0.777	17 outside 1st–99th percentile
tuition_in_statedouble	37.3%	2,807	0 → 72,097median 12,002	67 outside 1st–99th percentile
tuition_out_statedouble	37.3%	2,782	600 → 72,097median 16,837	67 outside 1st–99th percentile
median_debt_completersdouble	12.2%	1,671	2,783 → 43,021median 13,271	96 outside 1st–99th percentile
repayment_rate_1yrdouble	36.9%	776	0.01 → 0.996median 0.239	70 outside 1st–99th percentile
median_earnings_6yrdouble	4.3%	2,937	8,758 → 143,353median 35,771	104 outside 1st–99th percentile
median_earnings_10yrdouble	5.7%	3,522	8,579 → 143,372median 40,796	104 outside 1st–99th percentile
earnings_premium_10yrdouble	17.9%	2,543	-5,503 → 128,604median 27,106	90 outside 1st–99th percentile
debt_to_earnings_ratiodouble	17.9%	3,742	0.0699 → 1.63median 0.3364	89 outside 1st–99th percentile
payoff_multipledouble	17.9%	3,374	0.6128 → 14.32median 2.97	89 outside 1st–99th percentile
value_scoredouble	5.7%	2,547	0 → 100median 31.29	52 outside 1st–99th percentile
value_tiervarchar	0%	4	—	weak3,786 moderate1,093 unscored311
state_median_earnings_10yrdouble	0%	59	24,632 → 55,344median 41,273	52 outside 1st–99th percentile
state_median_debtdouble	0.07%	51	8,811 → 23,250median 13,521	31 outside 1st–99th percentile
state_institution_countbigint	0%	41	1 → 534median 146	53 outside 1st–99th percentile
data_vintagevarchar	0%	1	—	scorecard-api-latest@2026-09-305,414
source_urlvarchar	0%	1	—	https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/documentation/5,414
collected_atvarchar	0%	1	—	2026-09-305,414
row_hashvarchar	0%	6,036	—	001d7ecae853ac6a1 00456023cbcc1aa91 004d6ba441d397841

Point any LLM at the metadata endpoint — the documentation above is machine-readable too (JSON-LD + Croissant).

cURL

curl "https://datazimuts.com/v1/datasets/us_college_scorecard_value/college_value_panel" | jq '{title, rows, columns_count, license}'

Python

import requests

ds = requests.get("https://datazimuts.com/v1/datasets/us_college_scorecard_value/college_value_panel").json()
print(ds["title"], ds["rows"], "rows")

# Sample rows for an LLM context window
for row in ds.get("sample_rows", [])[:5]:
    print(row)

API endpoint: https://datazimuts.com/v1/datasets/us_college_scorecard_value/college_value_panel

Tip: fetch /llms.txt for the full machine-readable catalog.

Cite this snapshot

Pinned to snapshot 20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177 and its content hash, so readers get exactly the data you used.

APA

US College Scorecard value panel (Dept of Education). (2026). US college value panel: earnings-vs-debt ROI by institution [Data set, snapshot 20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177, sha256 dde96a53b177]. Datazimuts. Retrieved 2026-10-01, from https://datazimuts.com/en/datasets/us_college_scorecard_value/college_value_panel?snapshot=20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177

BibTeX

@misc{dz_us_college_scorecard_value_college_value_dde96a53,
  title        = {{US college value panel: earnings-vs-debt ROI by institution}},
  author       = {{US College Scorecard value panel (Dept of Education)}},
  year         = {2026},
  publisher    = {Datazimuts},
  howpublished = {\url{https://datazimuts.com/en/datasets/us_college_scorecard_value/college_value_panel?snapshot=20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177}},
  note         = {Snapshot 20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177, sha256 dde96a53b177aa1c3e300a4a6544d2d5f2f27561e4558b765c5dff1e6b2a19a0; accessed 2026-10-01}
}

Embed a table or a chart

Paste this into any page. The embed is pinned to the same snapshot, follows the reader's light or dark setting, and always shows the source, license and a link back.

Type

X axis

Value

Aggregate

Theme

HTML

<iframe src="https://datazimuts.com/embed/chart?dataset=us_college_scorecard_value%2Fcollege_value_panel&lang=en&theme=auto&snapshot=20260930T194736Z-dde96a53b177&x=opeid&y=opeid&agg=avg" title="US college value panel: earnings-vs-debt ROI by institution" width="100%" height="380" style="border:0" loading="lazy"></iframe>

US college value panel: earnings-vs-debt ROI by institution

Follow this dataset

Cite this snapshot

Embed a table or a chart

Use your own AI key