How reliable is College Niche as a research tool?

I've been using College Niche to look at reviews and rankings of different schools, but I'm wondering if it's a reliable source. Does anyone have experience using it for their college search?

As someone who helps guide students through the college admissions process, I've seen many students use College Niche (now known as Niche) as a tool in their research. Keep in mind, though, that while it can give you a good preliminary evaluation of a college, it is critical to cross-reference the information with other reliable sources.

Niche provides user-based ratings and reviews, which can be highly subjective and vary significantly from person to person. However, these reviews can still provide valuable insights into the student life and atmosphere of the campus, which may not be captured in more statistical-based ranking systems.

For more numerical, academic data like acceptance rates, average SAT/ACT scores, or financial aid statistics, I recommend looking at the colleges' own reported data or on the CollegeVine website. CollegeVine can provide a more personalized college match using data-driven algorithms based on your academic profile and interests.

Lastly, if possible, consider reaching out to current students or alumni from that college. They can provide insights and perspectives that you may not find on websites and can answer more specific questions you may have.

So, all in all, Niche can be a good tool to supplement your research, but it's important to also seek information from a variety of other sources to ensure a comprehensive perspective on the colleges you're investigating.