AIR Publishes Guide to Higher Education Federal Earnings Data
Federal earnings data are playing an increasingly important role in higher education — in federal accountability policy, consumer information, research, and institutional decision-making. The new Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS), finalized July 1, 2026, significantly raises the stakes by using program-level earnings outcomes to determine eligibility for Direct Loans and, under certain circumstances, other Title IV aid.
STATS is one of several federal sources of postsecondary earnings data. The College Scorecard, the Census Bureau’s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) Explorer, and the IRS-supported Secure Query System each use different data sources, populations, measures, and reporting approaches. Understanding those differences is important both for interpreting the results and for determining how the data can best be used.
This guide, written by Dr. Alexandria Walton Radford of Sova, provides a side-by-side comparison of all four sources. Exhibits 1–3 offer a quick reference to their purposes, earnings measures, populations, coverage, and analytic opportunities, while Exhibits 4–5 examine their potential financial aid and reputational implications. The brief also considers how federal earnings data are evolving and identifies opportunities for institutions to use these data to better understand program outcomes and support institutional improvement.
The guide grew out of an Impact Session panel at the 2026 AIR Forum and was developed as a resource for the field with support from Lumina Foundation.