How are higher education institutions ranked by the Department of Education?

I've heard that the Department of Education might have some metrics for comparing colleges, but I'm not sure how to look it up or what to look for. Does anyone know where I could find some info about how colleges are compared by the Department or what criteria they use? And how reliable are these rankings?

To clarify, the Department of Education itself doesn't rank or rate colleges in a way that platforms like U.S. News or CollegeVine do. What the Department of Education provides is an extremely comprehensive resource called the College Scorecard. This tool includes data about many aspects of different universities, giving raw numbers rather than ranking schools against each other.

The College Scorecard offers a wide range of data for each institution, including average annual cost, graduation, and retention rates, median earnings of students post-graduation, typical debt upon graduation, and demographic information about the student body. This can be quite helpful when you're trying to make comparisons between colleges or understand the typical outcomes for graduates of a given institution.

As far as reliability goes, the information within the College Scorecard is fairly reliable since it is sourced directly from the colleges and universities themselves, as well as tax records. However, it's important to consider this data in a broader context, understanding that things like average salary post-graduation can be influenced by the types of majors an institution offers or the regions where its graduates typically find employment.

While the College Scorecard is a valuable resource, interpreting the data and applying it to your specific situation can be complex. This is why many students find it beneficial to use multiple resources, each offering its perspective and insights, to form a well-rounded view of different schools.