College and financial aid decisions involve real money, so we hold our guides to clear standards. This page explains how the CalChannel editorial team researches, writes, updates and corrects our content.
Sources we use
We build college profiles and aid guides from primary sources first:
- Colleges: official admissions, tuition and financial aid pages, and each school’s Common Data Set
- Federal data: IPEDS, College Navigator, College Scorecard and Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov)
- State programs: the California Student Aid Commission and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
When sources disagree, we use the college’s own figures and say which year they cover. We do not publish a figure we cannot trace to a source. If a number is not available, we leave it out rather than estimate it.
How we check and date figures
- Acceptance rates, tuition and enrollment figures name their source and the academic year they apply to.
- Each page shows the date it was last updated.
- We aim to review college profiles and aid guides at least once per admission cycle, and sooner when a college or agency announces a change.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we fix it. Send the page link and the correction through our contact page. When we correct a figure or fact, we update the page and its “last updated” date.
Independence and sponsored content
Colleges do not pay to be featured and do not review our pages before publication. Our rankings of options, comparisons and recommendations are our own. Any sponsored content is clearly labeled as sponsored and kept separate from our college profiles and financial aid guides.
Not personal advice
Our guides are general information for students and families. They are not personal financial, legal or admissions advice. Rules and deadlines change, so confirm details with the college, its financial aid office or the relevant agency before you decide.
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