College Compass GuideTrue north for every college search.

Every accredited U.S. college

Colleges

Every accredited four-year college, rated on Academic Excellence and Value (what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and student debt), all from federal data.

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Compass Score sorts by outcomes, students and cost together. The other sorts order every college by a different measure.
Ratings
Compass ScoreCompass Score: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges from federal data: outcomes (40%), entering students (40%), cost (15%) and teaching (5%). Choose the lowest grade to show.
ValueValue: what families pay after aid, graduation rate, earnings and debt, from federal data.
Academic ExcellenceAcademic Excellence: a letter grade set by rank among rated colleges, from federal data on graduation, retention, test scores, faculty ratio, and spending. It never uses rankings or surveys.
Only Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.
Only the eight Ivy League universities.
Location
Distance (miles)
A broad region of the country, as the guide groups the states. Territories are listed separately.
School
Type of college, as college guides group them (from the federal Carnegie Classification): national universities offer a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs and do research; liberal arts colleges focus on undergraduates in the arts and sciences; regional universities mostly offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees; regional colleges mostly offer bachelor’s degrees in many fields; specialized schools focus on one field, such as health, art or business.
Public or privatePublic: run by a state or local government. Private: nonprofit or for-profit.
Total enrollment: small is under 2,000 students, medium 2,000 to 9,999, large 10,000 to 24,999, and very large 25,000 or more.
Net price: what a typical student pays per year after grants and scholarships, from the federal College Scorecard.
Coed: men and women together. Single-sex: all-male or all-female.
Campus life
College sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.
Where the campus is, from federal data: in a city, a suburb, a town, or a rural area.
The college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).
The college offers study abroad (federal data).
Admissions and outcomes
How many applicants are admitted (federal data). Most: 65% or more. Selective: 25% to 64%. Highly selective: under 25%.
Your SAT or ACT, to sort colleges Target, Likely and Reach. Signed in, it is kept on your account (private to you); otherwise only in this browser.
Reach, Target or LikelyA rough guide from admitted students' scores and admission rates, not a prediction. Target: your score is in the college's middle range. Likely: above it, or the college admits most applicants. Reach: below it, or the college admits fewer than 1 in 5.
Small classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Strong outcomes: 75% or more of students graduate (federal data).
Major1
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
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RecommendedOnly Compass Recommended colleges: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score.Honor RollOnly Honor Roll colleges: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score.ValueOnly colleges with a Value score of 85 or higher (grade A), from federal data.AcademicsOnly schools with an Academic Excellence grade of A or better (the top 10% of rated colleges), from federal data.Ivy LeagueOnly the eight Ivy League universities.Clear
Division I sportsCollege sports level from federal data: NCAA Division I (the biggest programs), Division II, Division III, or NAIA.ROTCThe college offers Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, on campus or with a nearby college (federal data).Study abroadThe college offers study abroad (federal data).NursingColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.EngineeringColleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.Under $20kNet price under $20,000 a year: what a typical student pays after grants and scholarships (federal data).Small classesSmall classes: 12 or fewer students per faculty member (federal data).
Major: ArchitectureClear all

130 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 41%

    California State University-Fresno

    Top 8% for low net price
    Fresno, CA · Public · 4-year · 23,986 students

    About $7,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 46%

    Kent State University at Kent

    #39 in Ohio
    Kent, OH · Public · 4-year · 26,106 students

    About $21,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 47%

    Judson University

    #25 in Illinois
    Elgin, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,058 students

    About $19,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 48%

    Utah Valley University

    Top 7% for low net price
    Orem, UT · Public · 4-year · 44,651 students

    About $6,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Fair
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 48%

    University of Idaho

    #5 in Idaho
    Moscow, ID · Public · 4-year · 11,849 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood · Top 48%

    California College of the Arts

    Good: Compass grade B
    San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,333 students

    About $54,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Excellent
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

    Good: Compass grade B
    Carbondale, IL · Public · 4-year · 11,359 students

    About $13,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Keene State College

    #6 in New Hampshire
    Keene, NH · Public · 4-year · 2,846 students

    About $18,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    The University of Texas at Arlington

    Top 23% for earnings
    Arlington, TX · Public · 4-year · 43,992 students

    About $14,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

    Top 16% for low debt
    Alfred, NY · Public · 4-year · 3,749 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    The University of Texas at San Antonio

    Top 17% for low net price
    San Antonio, TX · Public · 4-year · 34,864 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of Nevada-Las Vegas

    Top 16% for low net price
    Las Vegas, NV · Public · 4-year · 31,094 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Kennesaw State University

    #14 in Georgia
    Kennesaw, GA · Public · 4-year · 45,069 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Portland State University

    Top 14% for low net price
    Portland, OR · Public · 4-year · 20,519 students

    About $10,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of New Mexico

    #4 in New Mexico
    Albuquerque, NM · Public · 4-year · 22,700 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    California Baptist University

    Top 25% for earnings
    Riverside, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 11,407 students

    About $26,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Woodbury University

    Top 19% for earnings
    Burbank, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 898 students

    About $34,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

    Top 20% for earnings
    Denver, CO · Public · 4-year · 23,409 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Hampshire College

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 717 students

    About $24,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Milwaukee, WI · Public · 4-year · 22,481 students

    About $15,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico

    Good: Compass grade B-
    Hato Rey, PR · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 4,390 students

    About $18,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Fair
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Kean University

    Top 23% for low net price
    Union, NJ · Public · 4-year · 13,352 students

    About $12,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value ExcellentAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    University of the District of Columbia

    Top 17% for low net price
    Washington, DC · Public · 4-year · 3,855 students

    About $11,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value StrongAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreGood

    Newschool of Architecture and Design

    Top 16% for earnings
    San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · 4-year · 280 students

    About $53,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong
  • Compass ScoreSolid

    Boston Architectural College

    Top 24% for earnings
    Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 787 students

    About $26,000 a year after aid, on average

    Value FairAcademics Strong

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