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.

Filters

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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).
Major
Colleges that offer a bachelor's degree in this major or field, from the federal College Scorecard.
Clear all
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.
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).

2,310 schools · Sorted by Compass Score

  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Curtis Institute of Music

    #1 in Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 159 students

    RecommendedCompass Recommended: the top 35% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ to B+), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    California Institute of Technology

    #1 in California
    Pasadena, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,463 students

    $16,075 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Princeton University

    #1 in New Jersey
    Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 8,922 students

    $6,128 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Stanford University

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 18,446 students

    $13,807 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Rice University

    #1 in Texas
    Houston, TX · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 8,556 students

    $13,370 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Johns Hopkins University

    #1 in Maryland
    Baltimore, MD · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 30,362 students

    $18,809 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    #1 in Massachusetts
    Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 11,920 students

    $20,111 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    University of Chicago

    #1 in Illinois
    Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 18,339 students

    $14,860 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Williams College

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Williamstown, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,168 students

    $17,716 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Yale University

    #1 in Connecticut
    New Haven, CT · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 15,081 students

    $23,777 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Harvard University

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 30,386 students

    $19,066 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Brown University

    #1 in Rhode Island
    Providence, RI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 11,516 students

    $25,184 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Wellesley College

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Wellesley, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 2,418 students

    $25,496 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.All-femaleAll-female: the school enrolls women only.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Vanderbilt University

    #1 in Tennessee
    Nashville, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 13,456 students

    $15,846 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Pomona College

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,664 students

    $19,285 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    Duke University

    #1 in North Carolina
    Durham, NC · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 17,112 students

    $29,612 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 1%

    United States Military Academy

    #1 in New York
    West Point, NY · Public · 4-year · 4,508 students

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    United States Air Force Academy

    #1 in Colorado
    USAF Academy, CO · Public · 4-year · 4,124 students

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    Amherst College

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Amherst, MA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,910 students

    $23,367 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueExcellentAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    Claremont McKenna College

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Claremont, CA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,384 students

    $28,849 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    Cornell University

    #2 in New York
    Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 26,264 students

    $28,690 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    University of Pennsylvania

    Top 1% for earnings
    Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 28,711 students

    $28,699 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Ivy LeagueOne of the eight Ivy League universities. Ivy League membership doesn't change any grade.ValueStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    Northwestern University

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 23,203 students

    $29,167 a year after aid, on average

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.ValueStrongAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    United States Naval Academy

    Exceptional: Compass grade A+
    Annapolis, MD · Public · 4-year · 4,465 students

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent
  • Compass ScoreExceptional · Top 2%

    Hillsdale College

    #1 in Michigan
    Hillsdale, MI · Private nonprofit · 4-year · 1,823 students

    Honor RollCollege Compass Guide Honor Roll: the top 10% of rated colleges by Compass Score (grades A+ and A), from academics and value.Value not rated yetAcademicsExcellent

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