PREPARE › CURATE › COLLEGE RESEARCH
Where to look, what to look for, and how to use the Common Data Set — the most powerful research tool most students never open.
What to Research — and Where to Find It
College research has a lot of moving parts, but it can easily be organized around six core areas. For each one, there are specific things to look for and specific places to find reliable data. Think of this as a starting framework you can apply consistently across every school you research. Over time, you’ll learn what matters most to you and focus on those specific things.
Academic Programs
What to look for: Strength of your intended major, faculty credentials, class sizes, undergraduate research opportunities, honors programs, study abroad options.
Where to find it: College website (Academics section), Common Data Set Sections E, I, J
Admissions Profile
What to look for: Acceptance rate, middle 50% GPA and test scores, what factors the school weighs most heavily, ED/EA data.
Where to find it: Common Data Set Section C, college admissions webpage
Campus Life
What to look for: Student organizations, housing options, on-campus living rates, Greek life, campus culture and social environment.
Where to find it: College website (Student Life), Common Data Set Section F, Niche reviews
Cost & Financial Aid
What to look for: Tuition and total cost of attendance, average grant aid, % of need met, merit aid availability, net price for your income bracket.
Where to find it: Net Price Calculator, Common Data Set Sections G and H
Student Outcomes
What to look for: Retention rate, 4- and 6-year graduation rates, career placement, graduate school acceptance, alumni network strength.
Where to find it: Common Data Set Section B, college career services page
Location & Setting
What to look for: Urban/suburban/rural environment, proximity to internship and job markets, campus-community relationship, regional culture.
Where to find it: College website, virtual tours, student blogs, social media
Research Resources Worth Knowing
Every resource below has a different purpose and a different kind of information to offer. The most thorough research draws from several of them rather than relying on any single source.
College Website
The primary source for academic programs, admission requirements, financial aid information, campus life, and virtual tours. Start with the Academics, Admissions, and Financial Aid sections. Quality and navigability vary by school — you’ll develop a system as you research more schools.
Common Data Set (CDS)
A standardized annual report published by most colleges covering admissions data, enrollment, academics, financials, and more. The most objective source of comparable data across schools. Search “[College Name] Common Data Set” to find it. Covered in detail in the second half of this guide.
Niche (niche.com)
Aggregates student reviews, rankings, and data across categories including academics, campus life, diversity, and value. Useful for a qualitative sense of campus culture alongside the quantitative data from the CDS.
Educated Quest (educatedquest.com)
In-depth, visited reviews of colleges by an experienced counselor. Particularly useful for schools that are harder to find candid information about elsewhere.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges
A widely trusted annual print and digital guide with narrative profiles of over 300 colleges. Covers academics, social life, admissions, and financial aid in a consistent, readable format. Especially useful for schools you’re seriously considering.
Virtual Tours & Social Media
College-produced virtual tours give a polished view of campus; student-run Instagram accounts, YouTube channels, and Reddit threads (r/[CollegeName]) give a less filtered one. Both are useful. The gap between them is often informative.
CollegeListData tab on your Craft Sheets
If you have Craft Sheets, this tab imports data that colleges report via their Common Data Sets and the federally-mandated IPEDS system.
The Common Data Set: A Powerful Research Tool
The Common Data Set (CDS) is a standardized annual report that most colleges and universities publish, covering admissions, academics, enrollment, finances, and student life in a consistent format that makes comparison across schools genuinely possible. It’s produced for researchers and counselors, which means it’s far more objective and detailed than anything a college publishes for marketing purposes.
Most students have never heard of it. If you use it, you’ll have access to data that most of your peers are guessing about. You can access much of the most relevant information from it via the CollegeListData tab on your Craft Sheets.
How to Find It
Search “[College Name] Common Data Set” in Google. Most schools publish the current and past years’ CDS on their Institutional Research or Office of Institutional Effectiveness page. If a school doesn’t publish it, you can contact the admissions office directly to request it. A school that doesn’t publish its CDS is itself a data point worth noting.
Each CDS document is long — often 40+ pages — but you can safely ignore most of it. The sections below are the ones most relevant to your research as an applicant:
A — General Info
Key data points: School type, location, enrollment, accreditation, degrees offered.
Why it matters: Confirms basic fit with your preferences.
B — Enrollment
Key data points: Total undergrad enrollment, retention rate, 4- and 6-year graduation rates.
Why it matters: Retention rate (85%+) signals student satisfaction; graduation rates show academic momentum.
C — Admissions
Key data points: Acceptance rate, middle 50% SAT/ACT, GPA profile, weight of each admission factor, ED/EA data.
Why it matters: Helps gauge your competitiveness; reveals what factors the school actually emphasizes.
E — Academic Programs
Key data points: AP/IB credit policies, study abroad, research opportunities, honors programs.
Why it matters: Shows whether your existing credits transfer and what academic enrichment is available.
F — Student Life
Key data points: % living on campus, Greek participation, clubs and organizations.
Why it matters: Offers a quantitative read on campus culture and social environment.
G — Cost of Attendance
Key data points: Tuition, fees, room and board, estimated total cost.
Why it matters: Establishes the sticker price before aid — starting point for financial research.
H — Financial Aid
Key data points: % receiving need-based aid, average aid package, % of need met, merit aid data.
Why it matters: The most important financial section — reveals how generous the school is and whether it meets full need.
I — Faculty & Classes
Key data points: Student-faculty ratio, % of classes under 20, % full-time faculty.
Why it matters: Small classes and high full-time faculty % suggest more access and personalized instruction.
J — Popular Majors
Key data points: % of degrees awarded by field.
Why it matters: Shows the school’s academic center of gravity — whether your field is central or peripheral.
Tip: Notice What Colleges Say They Weigh
Section C of the CDS asks colleges to rate the importance of each admission factor — GPA, test scores, essays, extracurriculars, demonstrated interest, and more — on a scale from “Very Important” to “Not Considered.” This is one of the most useful pieces of information in the entire document. If a school marks Demonstrated Interest as “Important” or “Very Important,” that is a signal to act on — visiting, emailing, attending information sessions, and engaging with the school directly can meaningfully affect your application.
Key Takeaways
- Research six core areas for every school — academics, admissions profile, campus life, cost and financial aid, student outcomes, and location. Each one affects whether a school is the right fit for you.
- Use multiple sources — the college website tells you what a school wants you to know; the CDS, student reviews, and independent guides tell you what you need to know. Both matter.
- The Common Data Set is your most powerful research tool — it’s standardized, objective, and packed with data that marketing materials never show. Search “[College Name] Common Data Set” and bookmark the habit.
- Check what each school weighs in admissions — CDS Section C reveals which factors each school considers Very Important vs. considered. If Demonstrated Interest is listed, engage deliberately and consistently.