Most college search platforms make money from schools, not students. Here's how we're different.
GradFax is the only college search platform that sources 100% of its data from verified U.S. government databases (IPEDS and College Scorecard) and never allows schools to pay for better placement. Unlike Niche, which charges schools up to $120,000/year for premium visibility, or US News, which uses opaque survey-based rankings, GradFax shows unbiased data for 6,000+ accredited institutions — always free to search.
| Feature | GradFax | Niche | CollegeBoard BigFuture | US News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schools Covered | 6,000+ | ~3,000 | ~4,000 | ~1,800 |
| Primary Data Source | IPEDS & College Scorecard (federal) | Self-reported + student reviews | College Board proprietary | Surveys + self-reported |
| Sponsored Rankings | Never | Yes (up to $120K/yr) | No | Yes |
| Sells Student Data | No (opt-in only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price for Students | Free tier, forever | Freemium | Free | Paywall for full access |
| Preference Matching | 50-question assessment, 7 research frameworks | Letter grade ratings | Basic filters | Rankings only |
| Source Citations | Every data point linked to source | No source links | Limited | No source links |
| Natural Language Search | Yes | No | No | No |
| Financial Aid Calculator | Yes | Limited | Yes | No |
| Side-by-Side Comparison | Yes (up to 4 schools) | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Feature | GradFax | Niche | BigFuture | US News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schools Covered | 6,000+ | ~3,000 | ~4,000 | ~1,800 |
| Primary Data Source | IPEDS & College Scorecard (federal) | Self-reported + student reviews | College Board proprietary | Surveys + self-reported |
| Sponsored Rankings | Never | Yes (up to $120K/yr) | No | Yes |
| Sells Student Data | No (opt-in only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price for Students | Free tier, forever | Freemium | Free | Paywall for full access |
| Preference Matching | 50-question assessment, 7 research frameworks | Letter grade ratings | Basic filters | Rankings only |
| Source Citations | Every data point linked to source | No source links | Limited | No source links |
| Natural Language Search | Yes | No | No | No |
| Financial Aid Calculator | Yes | Limited | Yes | No |
| Side-by-Side Comparison | Yes (up to 4 schools) | Yes | Limited | Yes |
GradFax
6,000+Niche
~3,000BigFuture
~4,000US News
~1,800GradFax
IPEDS & College Scorecard (federal)Niche
Self-reported + student reviewsBigFuture
College Board proprietaryUS News
Surveys + self-reportedGradFax
NeverNiche
Yes (up to $120K/yr)BigFuture
NoUS News
YesGradFax
No (opt-in only)Niche
YesBigFuture
YesUS News
YesGradFax
Free tier, foreverNiche
FreemiumBigFuture
FreeUS News
Paywall for full accessGradFax
50-question assessment, 7 research frameworksNiche
Letter grade ratingsBigFuture
Basic filtersUS News
Rankings onlyGradFax
Every data point linked to sourceNiche
No source linksBigFuture
LimitedUS News
No source linksGradFax
YesNiche
NoBigFuture
NoUS News
NoGradFax
YesNiche
LimitedBigFuture
YesUS News
NoGradFax
Yes (up to 4 schools)Niche
YesBigFuture
LimitedUS News
Yes| Feature | GradFax Free & unbiased | Competitors Ad-supported, paywalled |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier, forever | Free tiers + $40-60/yr paywalls |
| Data source | IPEDS verified | Mix of verified, user reviews, paid partnerships |
| Paid placements | Never | School ads, sponsored results |
| Natural language search | Smart matching | Filter dropdowns only |
| Prestige filters | Top 50/100/Regional/Gems | Paywalled or unavailable |
| Location detection | Auto-detects state | Manual entry |
| IDK Mode | Personality-based matching | |
| Decision matrix | Rank your priorities | |
| Source transparency | Every stat links to source | Proprietary formulas |
| Student reviews | Coming Soon | Available |
| Lifestyle data | Weather, walkability, safety | Limited or unavailable |
GradFax
Free tier, foreverCompetitors
Free tiers + $40-60/yr paywallsGradFax
IPEDS verifiedCompetitors
Mix of verified, user reviews, paid partnershipsGradFax
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Coming SoonCompetitors
GradFax
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When a ranking system profits from the institutions it ranks, the rankings serve the schools, not you. Major platforms let colleges buy sponsored placements alongside organic results. If a platform is free and runs ads from schools, you are the product.
GradFax pulls directly from IPEDS and College Scorecard, federal databases schools are legally required to report to. No paid placements, no ad revenue from schools. When we show community-sourced data, we label it clearly.
No ads. No paywalls. Just verified data and tools that actually help.
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