Where the data comes from
We use two public, verifiable sources — not our own estimates:
- College Scorecard — the official database of the U.S. Department of Education. We take the net price by income band, cost of attendance, admission rate, graduation rate and student composition from it. Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov.
- Common Data Set (CDS) — the standard that universities publish each year about their own statistics, including which factors weigh in admissions. The "what admissions look at" map on each page comes from it. Reference: commondataset.org.
What "net price" is (and why it isn't the sticker price)
The sticker price is what the university advertises: tuition + housing + expenses. Almost no one pays it in full.
The net price is what families actually paid on average after subtracting grants and financial aid, according to federal data. That's the honest number, and it's the one we show first.
The income bands
Net price changes a lot depending on family income, because aid is income-based. That's why the Explorer lets you pick your band and see the average net price for it:
- Under $30,000
- $30,000 – 48,000
- $48,000 – 75,000
- $75,000 – 110,000
- Over $110,000
These are the same bands the College Scorecard reports, for families receiving federal aid.
What this number is NOT
The net price is a federal historical average, not an individual quote or a guarantee. Your real cost will depend on your specific financial situation, each university's current aid policy, and whether the student is admitted.
When a university has an especially generous, verified aid policy (for example, cost covered for families below a certain income), we flag it as context on the page — but always noting that the federal number is historical, not the current promise for every family.
Who's behind this
This platform is an initiative of Best College Aid, which helps Latino families navigate admissions, scholarships and financial aid for U.S. universities. The pages are curated by our team from the public sources cited above.
Independence and limitations
The cost, net-price, admissions, and college-profile information published by Veritat is based on public sources and is provided for informational purposes only. It does not guarantee admission, scholarships, financial aid, individual pricing, or specific outcomes. Families should verify final information directly with each institution and the relevant official sources.