About degree.fyi

Our Mission

degree.fyi helps students and families make informed decisions about higher education by providing transparent, program-level data on earnings and debt outcomes. We believe that understanding the real-world outcomes of different educational paths is essential for making one of life's most important investments.

The Data

degree.fyi draws on three U.S. government data sources to connect college programs to real-world outcomes.

Earnings & Debt

Program-level earnings and debt data come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, a comprehensive database covering colleges and universities that receive federal financial aid.

  • Earnings come from IRS tax records, showing median earnings for graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans) and are employed and not enrolled in further education.
  • Debt reflects median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. This does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans.
  • Program-level detail lets you see outcomes for specific majors and credential levels at specific schools, not just institution-wide averages.

Career Paths

Each program page shows occupations that graduates commonly enter, drawn from two sources:

  • Occupation descriptions and the mapping between fields of study and careers come from the O*NET® Database, maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor.
  • Median pay, job outlook, and typical education come from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Important Limitations

  • Aid recipients only: Earnings and debt data only include students who received federal financial aid. Students who paid entirely out of pocket or with private scholarships are not represented.
  • Small samples: Some programs have small sample sizes, which can make the statistics less reliable. We display sample sizes so you can assess this.
  • Timing: Earnings are measured 1 year and 4 years after graduation. These early-career earnings may not reflect long-term earning potential.
  • Correlation, not causation: Higher earnings from a program may reflect the students it attracts, not just the education it provides.
  • Career paths are approximate: The link between a field of study and an occupation is based on national crosswalk data, not tracking of actual graduates. Many careers are open to graduates from multiple fields.

Filling in the Gaps

One limitation of the College Scorecard is that over 75% of programs have no reported earnings data, and over 80% have no debt data. This happens because the Department of Education suppresses data when fewer than 30 graduates are in the sample—a privacy protection that unfortunately leaves most programs as blank slates.

degree.fyi goes further. When actual data isn't available, we provide estimates based on similar programs—with a median estimation error of about 10%.

Earnings Estimates

Earnings are largely driven by regional labor markets—a nurse in California earns similarly regardless of which California nursing school they attended. So we estimate based on geography:

  • State-level: If at least 3 programs in the same state offer the same major at the same credential level with reported earnings, we use their median.
  • National: Otherwise, if at least 5 programs nationally have reported earnings for that major and credential, we use the national median.

Debt Estimates

Unlike earnings, debt varies significantly by school type—public universities, private nonprofits, and for-profit schools have very different pricing structures. So we match on school type in addition to program characteristics:

  • State + school type: If at least 3 programs in the same state, with the same major, credential, and school type have reported debt, we use their median.
  • National + school type: Otherwise, if at least 5 programs nationally with the same school type have debt data, we use that median.

If neither threshold is met for earnings or debt, we don't provide an estimate. We'd rather show nothing than show something unreliable.

This approach improves our earnings coverage from 23% to over 80%, and debt coverage from 18% to over 55%—giving you useful context for programs that would otherwise show nothing.

Full Transparency

We clearly distinguish between actual and estimated data throughout the site:

  • Estimated values are labeled with “Est.” and a caution indicator
  • The estimation source and sample size are shown
  • In comparison tables, estimated values are marked with an asterisk (*)
  • Percentile rankings are only shown for programs with actual reported data

We believe showing a well-grounded estimate is more useful than showing nothing at all—as long as you know it's an estimate. You deserve the full picture.

Getting the Most Out of degree.fyi

We recommend using degree.fyi as one input among many when evaluating educational options. Consider:

  • Compare similar programs: Look at how the same major performs at different schools, especially within your state or region.
  • Consider debt-to-earnings ratios: A program with high earnings but even higher debt may not be a good value.
  • Look at trends: Programs where 4-year earnings significantly exceed 1-year earnings suggest good career progression.
  • Check sample sizes: Be cautious about drawing conclusions from programs with fewer than 30 graduates in the sample.

Data Updates

The College Scorecard is updated annually by the Department of Education, typically in the fall. We incorporate new data shortly after each release. The current earnings and debt data reflects the October 2025 Scorecard release.

The O*NET® Database is updated quarterly by the Department of Labor. Career data is based on version 30.1 (December 2025).

Attribution

This site includes information from the O*NET® 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Median pay, job outlook, and education data from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.

Earnings and debt data from the College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education.

Contact

Have questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at hello@degree.fyi.