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.

Patent-Pending Technology

How the Matching Engine Works

GradFax does not just filter schools by GPA and location. Our patent-pending matching engine captures your preferences across 33 dimensions, then scores every school in our database for fit. Here is how it works, step by step.

You Take the Education Fit Assessment

A 35-question assessment grounded in seven established educational and career-interest frameworks. Each question maps to specific dimensions in your profile. No trick questions, no filler. Every answer changes how schools are scored for you.

Holland Code (RIASEC)VARK Learning StylesKolb's Experiential LearningBig Five PersonalitySelf-Determination TheoryMarcia Identity StatusGradFax Education Preferences

We Build Your 33-Dimension Preference Profile

Your answers are scored across 33 distinct dimensions organized into nine categories:

Academic Identity5

Learning and Cognitive3

Campus Environment5

Financial and Practical4

Career Orientation3

Psychographic2

Personality (Big Five)5

Psychological Needs4

Cultural Context1

Every School Gets a Fit Score

Your profile is matched against school data across five weighted fit dimensions: RIASEC congruence (career interest alignment), campus size fit, setting fit (urban, suburban, college town, rural), culture fit, and financial fit. Schools are scored and ranked so the closest matches to your stated preferences surface first. The result is a personalized "Why This School" explanation for every school in our database, written based on your profile.

You Get Your Education Type

Based on your dimension scores, you are classified into one of six Education Types. Each type comes with specific guidance on what to look for in a school and which data points matter most for someone like you.

Liberal Arts ExplorerPre-Professional AchieverResearch ScholarCreative InnovatorSocial Impact LeaderTechnical Specialist

Take the Education Fit Assessment →

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.