# College Scorecard Schools Scraper (`crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper`) Actor

Searches US colleges and universities using the US Department of Education College Scorecard API - 6,000+ institutions with admission rates, costs, outcomes. Free, uses public DEMO\_KEY.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Gang](https://apify.com/crawlergang) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 11 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## College Scorecard Scraper

Search and extract comprehensive data on US colleges and universities from the [Department of Education College Scorecard](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/) — including admissions rates, test scores, tuition costs, earnings outcomes, completion rates, and institutional details for 6,000+ institutions.

### Features

- **Search schools** by name, state, and ownership type
- **Look up specific schools** by OPE ID
- Detailed data: admissions rates, SAT/ACT scores, tuition, median earnings 6 years post-enrollment, retention and completion rates, Pell Grant percentages
- Ownership classification: Public, Private non-profit, Private for-profit
- Carnegie Classification and locale descriptors
- No API key required (uses free DEMO\_KEY with 1,000 req/hour limit)

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `mode` | String (required) | `search` or `getByOpeid` |
| `apiKey` | String | Optional. Free API key from [api.data.gov](https://api.data.gov/signup/). Leave blank to use DEMO\_KEY (1000 req/hr) |
| `query` | String | School name search (mode=search) |
| `state` | String | 2-letter state code filter (mode=search) |
| `ownershipType` | String | `1` (Public), `2` (Private non-profit), `3` (Private for-profit) |
| `opeids` | Array | OPE ID strings (mode=getByOpeid) |
| `maxItems` | Integer | Max records to return (1–10000, default: 100) |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "MIT",
  "maxItems": 5
}
```

### Output

Each school record contains:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `unitId` | IPEDS Unit ID |
| `opeId` | OPE ID (8-digit) |
| `name` | Institution name |
| `city` | City |
| `state` | State abbreviation |
| `zip` | ZIP code |
| `url` | School website URL |
| `alias` | Common abbreviation or alias |
| `ownershipType` | Public / Private non-profit / Private for-profit |
| `carnegieClassification` | Carnegie Basic Classification label |
| `predominantDegreeAwarded` | Certificate, Associate, Bachelor's, or Graduate |
| `locale` | City/Suburb/Town/Rural size classification |
| `admissionsRate` | Admission rate (0–1) |
| `satReadingMedian` | SAT Evidence-Based Reading median score |
| `satMathMedian` | SAT Math median score |
| `satCumulativeAverage` | SAT overall average |
| `actCumulativeMedian` | ACT Composite median score |
| `tuitionInState` | In-state tuition (USD) |
| `tuitionOutOfState` | Out-of-state tuition (USD) |
| `costAttendanceAcademicYear` | Total cost of attendance for academic year (USD) |
| `studentSize` | Undergraduate enrollment |
| `percentUndergraduatesWithPellGrant` | Share of undergrads receiving Pell Grants |
| `federalLoanRate` | First-generation student share |
| `retentionRate` | Full-time retention rate (4-year institutions) |
| `completionRate` | 150% time completion rate |
| `medianEarnings` | Median earnings 6 years after entry (USD) |
| `avgFacultyDegree` | Faculty count |
| `recordType` | Always `school` |
| `sourceUrl` | API endpoint used |
| `scrapedAt` | ISO 8601 timestamp |

#### Example Output

```json
{
  "unitId": 166683,
  "opeId": "00231500",
  "name": "Massachusetts Institute of Technology",
  "city": "Cambridge",
  "state": "MA",
  "zip": "02139-4307",
  "url": "http://web.mit.edu/",
  "alias": "MIT",
  "ownershipType": "Private non-profit",
  "carnegieClassification": "Four-year, large, primarily nonresidential",
  "predominantDegreeAwarded": "Bachelor's",
  "locale": "City: Large",
  "admissionsRate": 0.0396,
  "satReadingMedian": 760,
  "satMathMedian": 790,
  "actCumulativeMedian": 35,
  "tuitionInState": 57986,
  "costAttendanceAcademicYear": 79850,
  "studentSize": 11520,
  "retentionRate": 0.99,
  "completionRate": 0.9377,
  "medianEarnings": 90000,
  "recordType": "school",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T10:00:00+00:00"
}
```

### Use Cases

- **College research** — compare institutions by cost, admissions selectivity, and outcomes
- **Education analytics** — analyze trends across institutional types, states, and regions
- **Financial aid research** — identify schools with high Pell Grant rates for affordability
- **Career outcome studies** — compare median earnings by school, state, or degree type
- **College consulting** — build searchable databases for advising platforms
- **Policy research** — analyze public vs. private institution performance metrics

### FAQ

**Do I need an API key?**
No registration is required. The scraper uses the free `DEMO_KEY` by default, which allows 1,000 requests/hour and 10,000 requests/day. For higher volume, register for a free key at [api.data.gov/signup/](https://api.data.gov/signup/). The API is hosted at `api.data.gov` (not `api.data.ed.gov`).

**How many schools are in the database?**
The College Scorecard covers over 6,000 US colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs.

**What is an OPE ID?**
The OPE (Office of Postsecondary Education) ID is an 8-digit identifier unique to each institution. You can find OPE IDs in College Scorecard search results or on the Department of Education website.

**How current is the data?**
The API is updated annually. The data reflects the most recent academic year available from the Department of Education.

**Can I filter by multiple states?**
Currently, the state filter supports one state at a time. To cover multiple states, run separate searches and combine the results.

**What does the admissions rate represent?**
The `admissionsRate` is a decimal between 0 and 1 (e.g., 0.0396 = 3.96% acceptance rate for MIT). A lower number means more selective.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch from the College Scorecard API.

## `query` (type: `string`):

School name to search for (mode=search). Partial names work, e.g. 'MIT', 'Harvard', 'State University'.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Filter results to a specific US state (mode=browseByState or as a filter with other modes).

## `degreeType` (type: `string`):

Filter schools by predominant degree type awarded (mode=browseByDegreeType or as a filter with other modes).

## `ownershipType` (type: `string`):

Filter by school ownership type.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of school records to return.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "browseByState",
  "query": "MIT",
  "state": "CA",
  "degreeType": "bachelor",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `schools` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped school records.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "browseByState",
    "query": "MIT",
    "state": "CA",
    "degreeType": "bachelor",
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "browseByState",
    "query": "MIT",
    "state": "CA",
    "degreeType": "bachelor",
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "browseByState",
  "query": "MIT",
  "state": "CA",
  "degreeType": "bachelor",
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlergang/college-scorecard-schools-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/AkImeVlJ1nOOtIGt1/builds/c3nGCFIxigKb6mGdY/openapi.json