Google adds detailed college info cards to Search

It's that time of year — a bunch of people are agonizing over which college to attend, and Google plays a large part in their research. To help expedite and flesh out that research process, Google has announced the addition of detailed college data cards in Search, presenting a bunch of information about the institution in one easy-to-read place. The data presented is gathered from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, says Google.

You can see examples of data in the screenshots below — the info you get depends on what university or college you search, of course, and includes things like the cost of undergraduate attendance, graduation rates, acceptance rates, how much it costs for those who are getting federal aid, and how much the institution's graduates make on average after graduating.

Obviously, it doesn't cover all the aspects of a university or college, but it does provide a snapshot of some of the most important information prospective students will care about, and that quickly speeds up the research process. If you're only interested in colleges with a certain graduation rate, for example, this makes quick work of weeding out unwanted institutions.

Of course, you have the option to star some colleges if you want, and to scroll through the search results for other sources of information. When researching colleges on mobile, I'm also presented with lists of public events at the institution with dates, as well as a score for the institution based on web reviews. The information doesn't show up in desktop searches.

SOURCE: Google Blog