See What Life Looks Like
After You Graduate

RateMyCollege is a free tool that shows your estimated monthly budget after graduating from any college program — earnings minus taxes, student loans, and rent.

Real data from the Department of Education. No rankings. No ads. No account required.

4,833
Schools
7,391
Programs
67
Career Paths

How It Works

1

Search a school or career

Type any college name, major, or career path. We cover 4,833 schools and 7,391 programs.

2

See your financial picture

Get a monthly budget breakdown — gross pay, taxes, student loan payment, rent, and what's left over.

3

Compare and decide

Stack schools side by side. See which programs leave you comfortable, tight, or stressed after graduation.

Why Traditional Rankings Fail

Research shows that socioeconomic factors predict over 90% of a school's ranking. Schools serving first-generation students and working-class families consistently rank lower — not because they provide less value, but because rankings measure privilege, not potential.

293 programs in our database would fail federal financial standards — yet they're still enrolling students.

RateMyCollege puts the power back in your hands. We show you the real data — transparently.

Your Financial X-Ray

Every school page shows a complete picture of what your degree actually costs — and what it leaves you with.

📊
Monthly Budget Breakdown
Gross pay → taxes → student loans → rent → what's left
🚦
Color-Coded Health Level
Comfortable, tight, or stressed — at a glance
⚠️
Federal Debt Threshold
The same test the government uses to flag risky programs
📍
Cost-of-Living Adjusted
Your purchasing power in 384 metro areas — not just raw salary
Live example

Prosperity Gauge

Monthly budget after graduationEngineering, General.

Comfortable
Taxes
Rent
$4,922
$8,811/mo gross$4,922/mo remaining (56%)

Taxes

$2,153/mo

24.4% effective

Student Loan

$286/mo

10yr at 5%

Rent

$1,450/mo

State median

Food, Transport, Savings

$4,922/mo

56% of gross

3.2% D/Epasses federal thresholdAZ state avg
Adjusted earnings: $106,853 (costs 2% below avg in AZ)

Completion Matters

If you graduate

+299%

ROI

Expected (67% grad)

+185%

ROI

Completion risk costs 114 points. About 33 in 100 students don't finish at this school.

School and program data from College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Career data from Bureau of Labor Statistics. Cost-of-living data from Bureau of Economic Analysis.