Drowning in college marketing?
Rankings are paid. Brochures are lies. The system is designed to confuse you.
Get the facts. Anywhere.
6,000+ schools. Verified data. Zero sponsors. Always free.
Built by students. For students.
The college search platform that works for you, not schools.
The college search platform that works for students, not schools
Your Future Deserves Facts, Not Marketing
The college system is rigged against students. GradFax levels the playing field with verified data, zero ads, and no paywalls. Ever.
Everything You Need, One Platform
No more jumping between 10 different sites.
SearchNatural language search across 6,000+ schools. Just describe what you want.
Try it →
IDK ModeNot sure where to start? Describe yourself and get instant matches.
Try it →
CompareSide-by-side with color-coded stats. See who wins on cost, outcomes, lifestyle.
Try it →Map
See all schools on an interactive map.
Decide
Rank your priorities and see schools re-ranked.
Scholarships
300+ curated scholarships with filters.
My List
Save schools, add notes, compare later.
Coming soon: Application tracker, deadline reminders, AI essay helper, and more.
The College Marketing Machine
Schools prove themselves to GradFax. Not the other way around.
$10B+
Spent yearly on college marketing
More than some countries' GDP
$2,500
Average spent per student recruited
They're buying your attention
$0
What GradFax costs you
Forever. No catches.
Universities spend more on marketing than financial aid. You'll never pay a dime for GradFax. Education decisions should be based on facts, not who has the biggest ad budget.
💸 The True Cost of Applying to College
For most people, this is the first major financial decision of their life. The effects last decades.
$50-90
Per Application
12 schools = $720 in fees.
$68+
SAT or ACT
Plus $14/score send.
$25+$16
CSS Profile
10 schools = $169.
$98
Per AP Exam
5 exams = $490.
🙈 The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Campus Visits
$500 - $2,000+ per trip (flights, hotels, meals)
Test Prep
$0 - $6,000+ (courses, private tutors)
Your Time
10-20+ hours per application
Realistic Total
$3,000 - $7,000+
Before tuition.
Get Updates When We Ship New Features
Deadline reminders, application tracker, and more coming soon.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
I Built This Because I Got Burned
When I applied to college, the marketing promised everything. A top psychology program, beautiful campus, career opportunities. I showed up and discovered the program I wanted didn't actually exist.
I had to study marketing instead. Then study abroad just to get the education I was promised. Thousands of dollars and years of my life, because I trusted a brochure.
GradFax exists so you don't make the same mistake.
School marketing
Cherry-picked stats, glossy photos, vague promises
Rankings websites
Paid placements, outdated data, no lifestyle info
Generic AI chatbots
Hallucinated facts, no sources, can't verify
GradFax
Official IPEDS data, verifiable sources, lifestyle factors
The Standard Schools Are Measured Against
Colleges treat you like a customer, not a student. We think you deserve access to the same information they use to set prices.
📊
IPEDS Data
The federal database schools must legally report to.
🏙️
Lifestyle Truth
Real walk scores, weather data, and nearby amenities.
⚖️
Fair Comparison
Same metrics for every school. No paid placements.
A Note on Data Sources
Most of GradFax comes from IPEDS, the federal database schools are legally required to report to. Some lifestyle data comes from Open-Meteo and OpenStreetMap. We cite every source so you can verify.
How It Works
Describe What You Want
"Affordable engineering in a warm city"
Get Real Matches
Schools ranked by fit, with explanations
Compare and Decide
Side-by-side, then make an informed choice
6,000+
Schools Held Accountable
100%
Free Forever
50
States Covered
2024
IPEDS Data
Built By Students, For Students
GradFax isn't backed by venture capital or university money. It's built by someone who went through the broken system and decided to fix it.
Every feature, every data point, every design decision is made with one question: does this help students make better decisions?
Read the full story →
Help Us Get Better
Spot an error? Have a feature idea? We read every submission.
Your Future Deserves Facts, Not Marketing
Join thousands of students making informed decisions about their education.
Start Your Search →