What the badges mean
Badges are earned from published evidence, never bought. They are recomputed whenever a school’s evidence is re-verified, so a badge can come and go.
Honor Roll
College Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.
Our highest honor. It goes to colleges that are excellent on both academics and value.
162 schools todaySee the Honor Roll →
Compass Recommended
Compass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value.
Honor Roll colleges meet this standard too.
654 schools todaySee recommended colleges →
For schools: show your badge
A school on the Honor Roll or Compass Recommended can add its badge to its own website. Open the school’s page here and choose “Badge and embed code”, or start from the Honor Roll. The badge links back to the school’s page, so visitors can see the evidence.
Questions about a rating? Schools can post an official response or ask for a correction.