How GradFax Stays Free

No ads. No sponsored rankings. No selling your data. Here's how we keep the lights on while keeping your interests first.

Our Business Model

GradFax is built on a simple principle: the basic tools every student needs to make an informed college decision should be free. We will never charge for searching schools, comparing data, or accessing verified government statistics.

We sustain the platform through optional premium features that go beyond basic search, like personalized transcript analysis, application coaching, and advanced comparison tools. These premium features help students who want extra guidance, while the core platform remains free for everyone.

Where Our Data Comes From

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System)

Federally mandated institutional data covering tuition, enrollment, graduation rates, demographics, and financial aid. Schools must report this data annually to the National Center for Education Statistics.

College Scorecard

U.S. Department of Education data on post-graduation earnings, student debt levels, and repayment rates. Updated quarterly.

Open-Meteo & Walk Score

Weather and walkability data to help you understand what daily life actually looks like on campus.

Community-Sourced Data

Campus culture, nightlife, and social life data curated from student communities. Always clearly labeled as community-sourced and never mixed with verified government data.

What We Will Never Do

  • Accept paid rankings. Schools cannot pay to appear higher in search results or be featured more prominently.
  • Sell your data without your consent. Your information is yours. If we ever offer features where schools can connect with interested students, you'll always opt in first and control what's shared.
  • Show ads that influence results. If we ever display advertising, it will be clearly separated from search results and school data.
  • Display unverified data without labels. If we can't cite it, we don't show it. When data is community-sourced, we tell you.

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