EDsmart
EDsmart is a Utah-based, founder-led educational content platform that publishes data-driven college rankings and decision-support resources for prospective students and families, monetized through institutional advertising and affiliate referrals via a free consumer website.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersDraper, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What EDsmart does
EDsmart is a privately held, founder-led educational content platform headquartered in Utah that publishes college rankings and decision-support resources for prospective higher-education students and their families. Its core product, the EDsmart.org College Rankings Platform, evaluates institutions across four dimensions — career outcomes, completion rates, support services, and affordability — and issues letter grades and composite scores. The underlying technology is a web-based data-aggregation layer that synthesizes structured records from authoritative U.S. federal education sources (IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS, NCES, DAPIP) rather than relying on self-reported institutional data, then layers editorial framing and SEO-optimized guides on top.
The company monetizes through two complementary streams: advertising and sponsored content placements for educational institutions, and affiliate referral fees generated when users are matched to degree programs through the platform's search tools (operated via a third-party collegiate platform under edsmart.org publisher attribution). The product is entirely free to end users, and customer acquisition is driven by content marketing, organic search, and earned media coverage in major national outlets. The 2025–2026 product slate has expanded well beyond traditional university rankings into specialized guides for online colleges, tuition-free programs, laptop-offering institutions, open-enrollment schools, and short-cycle credentials such as medical coding and medical assisting, broadening the persona served from prospective four-year students to a wider set of adult and non-traditional learners. EDsmart operates only in the United States and discloses no parent company, external funding, or institutional investors.
EDsmart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EDsmart
- Legal name
- EDsmart
- Website
- https://edsmart.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- EDsmart is a Utah-based, founder-led educational content platform that publishes data-driven college rankings and decision-support resources for prospective students and families, monetized through institutional advertising and affiliate referrals via a free consumer website.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EDsmart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Information & College Rankings
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Information (51)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College & Program Discovery, Matching & Fit Tools (EDAFAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Application Planning, Document Management & Submission Tools (EDAFAMAC)
Keywords
Where EDsmart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Draper
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
EDsmart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising & Sponsored Content: EDsmart generates revenue through advertising relationships with colleges and educational institutions featured on the platform. The site includes sponsored program listings, affiliate links, and promotional content from educational institutions.
- Referral/Affiliate Revenue: The platform includes search program tools that link to college degree programs, generating referral fees when users are matched to or enroll in programs through the platform's recommendations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
EDsmart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EDsmart operates a free, consumer-facing web platform that aggregates federal education data (IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS, NCES) to produce college rankings, comparison tools, and student resources. Its proprietary ranking methodology evaluates institutions on career outcomes, completion rates, support services, and affordability, then publishes letter grades and composite scores. The platform also offers specialized guides for online colleges, accreditation verification, and degree/career search tools, monetizing through advertising and referral fees.
Product overview
EDsmart is a college rankings and student resources platform offering a portfolio of information products centered on its core college ranking platform. The main offering evaluates institutions on career outcomes, completion rates, support services, and affordability using federal data (IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS, NCES). Supporting products include specialized guides for online colleges (including laptop programs and tuition-free options), accreditation guides, open enrollment rankings, and degree-specific search tools. The products function as interconnected resources within the same platform, sharing unified search functionality and data sources while addressing different student decision-making needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- EDsmart College Rankings Platform A comprehensive college rankings and search platform that evaluates institutions based on career outcomes, completion rates, support services, and affordability using federal education data (IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS, NCES). It is designed for prospective college students, transfer students, adult learners, and families seeking data-driven higher education guidance.
- Online Colleges Search & Rankings Rankings and search tools for accredited online colleges, including information on tuition costs, financial aid, and program availability. It targets prospective online learners and adult students searching for flexible higher education options.
- Degree & Career Search Tools Search tools for exploring degree programs by field (MBA, nursing, computer science, law, medical coding), cost, and career outcomes, intended for prospective students comparing program-level options.
Companies that use EDsmart
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
EDsmart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
EDsmart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- BloombergmajorEDsmart's expertise and rankings have been featured in Bloomberg coverage, establishing credibility and driving user awareness through major media visibility.
- ABC NewsmajorEDsmart content and expertise featured in ABC News coverage, providing third-party credibility validation.
- Fox NewsmajorEDsmart expertise cited in Fox News coverage, expanding reach and brand awareness.
- CBS NewsmajorEDsmart recognized and featured in CBS News coverage, enhancing credibility and visibility.
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System)coreFederal education data source used for college rankings and comparison metrics.
- College ScorecardcoreU.S. Department of Education data source providing outcome metrics including earnings and graduation rates.
- BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)coreFederal labor data source for career outcomes and employment statistics used in college comparisons.
- NCES (National Center for Education Statistics)coreFederal education statistics source for enrollment, accreditation, and institutional data.
- DAPIP (Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs)coreFederal database used to verify school and program accreditation status.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
EDsmart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
EDsmart social profiles
Digital presenceEDsmart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EDsmart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
EDsmart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EDsmart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EDsmart
What does EDsmart do?
EDsmart operates a free, consumer-facing web platform that aggregates federal education data (IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS, NCES) to produce college rankings, comparison tools, and student resources. Its proprietary ranking methodology evaluates institutions on career outcomes, completion rates, support services, and affordability, then publishes letter grades and composite scores. The platform also offers specialized guides for online colleges, accreditation verification, and degree/career search tools, monetizing through advertising and referral fees.
Is EDsmart a public or private company?
EDsmart is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was EDsmart founded?
EDsmart was founded in 2015.
Where is EDsmart based?
EDsmart is headquartered in Draper, United States, in the North America region.
How does EDsmart make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising & Sponsored Content is the primary driver. The others are referral/Affiliate Revenue.
Does EDsmart have an API?
No public API is recorded for EDsmart.
What industry is EDsmart in?
EDsmart's product category is Higher Education Information & College Rankings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAA, College & Program Discovery, Matching & Fit Tools, with a secondary code of EDAFAMAC, Application Planning, Document Management & Submission Tools. Its NAICS code is 51929 and its SIC code is 7372.