Google adds college search knowledge panel

Google has announced a new search feature designed to help would-be college students find the right school for them. When you search for college-related topics on the engine, Google will now show you more ways to “explore educational options and find a college that meets your needs.”

As part of its effort to give searchers a complete picture, Google will display the cost of going to college for both parents and students, showing information about the average cost after student aid is applied, including breakdowns by household income.

Additionally, results will show “graduation rates as well as typical annual income 10 years after enrollment, designed to help you better understand the potential outcomes of attending that school,” Google said. Also included are enrollment rates, stats about the student body, notable alumni and similar colleges.

Here is a screenshot of these new features on mobile, where Google is currently rolling them out. Some of these features are also on desktop.

The data is provided by the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Google said it has “worked with education researchers and nonprofit organizations, high school counselors, and admissions professionals to build an experience to meet your college search needs, and we will continue to focus on how we can better improve access to information about educational opportunities.”

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Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.