This log starts August 1, 2026. It records confirmed data refreshes, corrections, and material
methodology changes from that point forward. Earlier work is not backfilled without evidence,
and copy edits that do not change meaning are omitted.
Corrected cohort and completion-rate descriptions
Institution earnings are now described as entry-cohort outcomes measured after enrollment, while program earnings are described as completer-cohort outcomes measured after credential completion. Completion copy and value-score benchmarks now use the Scorecard's applicable 150%-of-normal-time fields for four-year and shorter programs instead of implying one six-year definition for every institution.
The new 2013–2023 trend report and rankings use colleges with comparable endpoints, at least eight annual observations, a non-null fitted slope, and r² of at least 0.40. Rankings use the fitted dollar-per-year slope rather than a fragile two-point percentage. The report calls these annual observations, not differences between Scorecard publication releases.
Verification basis: the report, both rankings, and the downloadable CSV share one 1,240-college cohort query. See the net-price trend report.
Rebuilt the processed portal database
The processed database was rebuilt and verified with 6,243 institutions and 2,298 program fields. This rebuild did not make every source field an August 2026 observation: institution data was retrieved in July 2026 and field-of-study data in March 2026, while each federal field retains its documented reporting and measurement period.
Verification basis: production database rebuild metadata and the retrieval contract in Data Vintage.
Compiled by PlainCollege, College outcomes data analysis
Download the College Scorecard state summary cited on this page:
plaincollege-state-summary.csv
(U.S. Department of Education · CC BY-SA 4.0).