College data is a mess

CollegeIQ was designed to make finding relevant data about colleges easier. We largely accomplish this, but it isn't easy.

It's difficult because many college data sources have errors.

National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) is a non-profit that publishes student data. For the past year, publications have cited its data to show a major change in enrollment at colleges this year.

The organization previously published data showing that freshman enrollment for 2024-2025 was down 5%. The media quickly pounced on this number, blaming several factors, including the bungled new FAFSA rollout last year.

However, in January 2025, the organization recognized a critical error in its data. It turns out freshman enrollment increased in 2024-2025 compared to the prior year.

How CollegeIQ sources data

CollegeIQ relies on a couple of sources for most of its data:

Common Data Set (CDS) - These are forms colleges complete each year that include information about applications, financials, and student success.

IPEDS - Short for Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, this is a government-run database that uses information submitted by schools each year.

The CDS data is typically much more recent, and CollegeIQ pays to license the most recent collated data to ensure users have the most up-to-date information.

Garbage in, garbage out

Even though CollegeIQ spends a lot of time and money sourcing the best information, a challenge can result in errors: the data is only as good as what the colleges submit. And sometimes (OK, many times), the colleges submit bad data.

While it can be difficult to spot incorrect data, there are some telltale signs.

One example is when colleges break down the number of male, female, and non-binary students who applied and were accepted to their schools. In some cases, the aggregate of these numbers is greater than what the school submits for the total students who applied or were admitted.

Another example is four-year data compared to freshman data. Occassionally, a school will submit aggregate data for its entire student body which is impossible given what it submitted for freshman data the previous year.

Making college data better

At CollegeIQ, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate data. However, we're at the mercy of the data schools provide, which creates a continual challenge. With this in mind, we appreciate when users contact us about data that seems implausible. If you find an issue, please contact CollegeIQ.