Behind the facts
Data sources & updates
A useful number needs context. Here is where StudyIndex data comes from, what each collection covers, and which versions are available.
Follow a fact back to its source
College profiles combine published directory information with source-reported observations. Careers and study fields use occupational data and education crosswalks. A profile can contain facts from more than one release; its most recent retrieval date is not the year of every number on the page.
Only sources with a published release appear below. Collecting an entire source package does not mean every record passed identity review, every institution is listed, or every field is available. A historical open status also does not confirm current admissions.
What we use each source for
College costs
NCES / IPEDS Costs
Reported tuition, required fees and average net price, with separate years, student groups, residency and cost bases.
ipeds-cost2024-20261014
U.S. Department of Education, NCES — IPEDS COST1/COST2, provisional December 2025. StudyIndex separates student groups, cost basis and imputation flags.
Tuition: 2024–25. Required fees: 2024–25. Average net price: 2023–24. Aid groups, income bands and academic-year or largest-program basis remain separate; NCES estimates retain their labels.
Declared scope: All COST1/COST2 UNITIDs; tuition/fees 2024-25 and net price 2023-24. Facts only; no institutional identity or current-program publication.
Source collection complete for the declared scope. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
Study fields & career links
O*NET® Education Crosswalks
Published relationships between education classifications and occupations. A related field is not an admission requirement or a confirmed program at a college.
onet-cip2020-onet2019-202407
O*NET® Resource Center crosswalks, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration; CIP crosswalk based on NCES. CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex groups and presents educational relationships; no USDOL/ETA endorsement.
Original collectionDeclared scope: Study fields represented in the official education crosswalk; not a complete CIP taxonomy or current program inventory.
Source collection complete for the declared scope. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
University program listings
Official university program catalogs
Program titles and links checked against an institution’s official catalog. Coverage is limited to the institutions and lists actually checked.
mit-ug-2026-10-14T205810
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: official undergraduate degree chart titles and links; retrieved 2026-10-14.
Original collectionOfficial program list for IPEDS UNITID 166683. Listings expire 90 days after verification unless checked again. This collection does not cover every university or confirm open admissions.
Declared scope: one_institution_undergraduate_list
Complete source coverage not established for this release. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
aamu-ug-2026-10-14T165724
Alabama A&M University: official program titles and links; retrieved 2026-10-14.
Original collectionOfficial program list for IPEDS UNITID 100654. Listings expire 90 days after verification unless checked again. This collection does not cover every university or confirm open admissions.
Declared scope: one_institution_undergraduate_list
Complete source coverage not established for this release. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
College identities
NCES IPEDS
Official institution identifiers and historical directory information. A directory entry does not confirm that every program is available today.
ipeds-hd2024-r1-20261014-v2
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics — IPEDS, HD2024 (2024–25 directory).
Declared scope: All HD2024 reporting entities; unsupported countries remain quarantined by the importer.
Source collection complete for the declared scope. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
Career exploration
O*NET
Occupational descriptions, interests and skills used to explain careers and explore interest similarities.
onet-31.0
Source: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; no USDOL/ETA endorsement.
Source collection complete for the declared scope. Publication applies to records that pass validation.
Versions & reporting periods
The table lists published collections, including older releases retained as history. “Published on StudyIndex” describes our publication date. Source release labels identify the original version when supplied. Reporting periods describe the observations, which can differ within a collection.
| Source / collection | Version & period | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|
| NCES / IPEDS Costsipeds-cost2024-20261014 | Datasets: COST1_2024, COST2_2024Source release label: Provisional, December 2025Tuition: 2024–25Required fees: 2024–25Average net price: 2023–24 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| O*NET® Education Crosswalksonet-cip2020-onet2019-202407 | CIP version: 2020O*NET-SOC version: 2019SOC version: 2018Mapping version: cip2020-onet2019-202407Reporting period: 2024-07 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Official university program catalogsmit-ug-2026-10-14T205810 | Dataset: Official undergraduate degree chartsReporting period varies or is not supplied. | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Official university program catalogsaamu-ug-2026-10-14T165724 | Dataset: Official undergraduate program listReporting period varies or is not supplied. | Oct 14, 2026 |
| NCES IPEDSipeds-hd2024-r1-20261014-v2 | Dataset: HD2024Source release: 1Source release label: September 2025Reporting period: 2024-25 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| O*NETonet-31.0 | Database version: 31.0Reporting period varies or is not supplied. | Oct 14, 2026 |
Updates, quality checks & corrections
Before publication, imports check file integrity, identifiers, field types and supported ranges. Ambiguous matches are held for review. The directory displays figures that pass these checks.
A new collection can add historical observations without replacing every current fact. Partial coverage is not evidence that an omitted institution has closed. Corrections retain their own evidence and remain separate from the original observation.
If a detail looks wrong, open its source reference and compare the reporting period, student group and cost basis. Check current programs, charges and application requirements directly with the institution. A newer statement and an older reported figure can describe different circumstances.
How comparisons, missing data and recommendations work