Peterson's Data
Peterson's Data is a B2B higher education data provider licensing validated datasets on 4,200+ undergraduate institutions, graduate programs, scholarships, and credentials to enterprise clients across financial services, EdTech, government, and workforce segments via API and flat-file delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Peterson's Data does
Peterson's Data (legal entity: Peterson's, LLC) is a B2B higher education data provider founded in 1966 and headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The company collects, validates, and licenses comprehensive education datasets covering approximately 4,200 undergraduate institutions, 2,424 graduate institutions with over 30,399 programs, scholarship awards, distance learning programs, vocational and technical programs, credentials, and college cost data across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its core technology is a multi-step QA and validation platform built over 20+ years, featuring 3-point validation for priority institutions, historical trend checks, and definitions governance. The platform is delivered via API (launched February 2022) or flat files with versioned definitions.
The company operates a sales-led B2B licensing model targeting enterprise clients across seven segments: financial institutions (primary), workforce solution organizations, schools and agencies, education consultants, government agencies, media organizations, and EdTech companies. Revenue is generated through subscription-based data licensing agreements with multi-year contracts and a Special Projects Team that provides custom data collection, consulting, and data architecture services on a project basis. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.
Peterson's Data differentiates through timeliness (monthly releases versus annual IPEDS cycles), proprietary data points not available in public databases (such as detailed cost breakdowns and program deadlines), and direct institutional relationships built over six decades. Named customers include JP Morgan Chase, intoCAREERS, and PAIRIN. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors, operates with 11-50 employees, and has no publicly disclosed revenue figures.
Peterson's Data firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Peterson's Data
- Legal name
- Peterson's, LLC
- Website
- https://petersonsdata.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Peterson's Data is a B2B higher education data provider licensing validated datasets on 4,200+ undergraduate institutions, graduate programs, scholarships, and credentials to enterprise clients across financial services, EdTech, government, and workforce segments via API and flat-file delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Peterson's Data industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Data Licensing
- NAICS
- Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transcript, Score Reporting & Verification/Credential Wallet Platforms (EDAFADAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Registrar, Records & Institutional Data Stewardship (EDADAKAE), Transcript, Verification & Credential Services (EDALAAAK), Credential, Education & Professional License Verification (BPAKAEAI), Funding, Finance & Grants Reporting (Allocations, Claims, Reconciliation) (EDADAIAG)
Keywords
Where Peterson's Data is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Peterson's Data business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Data Licensing: Licensing of comprehensive education datasets (Undergraduate, Graduate, Scholarship, Specialty Data) to businesses. Revenue generated through subscription-type licensing agreements with delivery via API or flat files.
- Custom Data Projects: Special Projects Team provides custom data collection, unique dataset creation, data architecture consulting, and transformation of unstructured data into usable formats. Project-based professional services for custom client needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Contact-based pricing - no public tiers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Peterson's Data product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Peterson's Data collects, validates, and licenses higher education datasets covering undergraduate, graduate, scholarship, specialty, college cost, distance-learning, vocational, and credential information. It sells data access to organizations through B2B licensing, API delivery, flat files, and custom data projects.
Product overview
Peterson's Data is a comprehensive higher education data platform offering multiple specialized databases. The core portfolio includes: Undergraduate Institutional Data (covering ~4,200 institutions), Undergraduate Financial Aid Data, Graduate Institutional Data (30,399 programs across 2,424 institutions), Graduate Comprehensive Database, Scholarship Data (in tiers), and Credentials Database. Specialty offerings include Online and Distance Learning Data, Vocational & Technical Programs Data, and College Cost Data. All datasets are delivered via API or flat-file formats with versioned definitions and comparable metrics. A Special Projects Team provides custom data collection and consultation services. The platform differentiates through 20+ years of QA rigor, direct institutional relationships, and monthly data updates rather than annual releases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Institutional Data
- Undergraduate Financial Aid Data
- Graduate Institutional Data
- Scholarship Data
- Online and Distance Learning Data
- Vocational & Technical Programs Data
- College Cost Data
- Credentials Database
- Custom Data Projects
Quantifiable outcome
- Data is 12-18 months ahead of other sources according to company claims
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Peterson's Data
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Peterson's Data technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Peterson's Data partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- United States Military Academy (USMA)minorListed as a partner/trusted organization in Peterson's Data logo section. Military academy uses education data for institutional research and cadet recruitment purposes.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)minorGovernment agency partner referenced in logos section. BLS data often correlated with Peterson's education and career outcome data.
- CappexminorCollege application and search platform that licenses Peterson's data for college matching and application tools.
- Bright HorizonsminorEducation and child care services provider. Partner in the Peterson's Data ecosystem of education-focused organizations.
- Frontline EducationminorK-12 administration software provider. Listed as partner using Peterson's data for education industry insights.
- Gale, Cengage LearningminorEducational content and research publisher. Partner organization in Peterson's Data trusted network.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Peterson's Data competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Chegg (College Search and Admissions Data): Chegg operates a broad set of student services including college search, scholarship matching, and admissions data tools. Overlaps with Peterson's across multiple product lines including scholarship data and college planning data licensing.
- College Board: College Board administers SAT, AP, and college planning tools and offers institutional and admissions data products to schools, governments, and EdTech platforms. Overlaps with Peterson's in higher education data, college search, and institutional data licensing.
- U.S. News & World Report (Education Rankings): U.S. News publishes higher education rankings and reports using institutional data and is a major media consumer of education data. While primarily a media brand, its reliance on institutional data and rankings makes it a partial comparable for Peterson's media and analysis use cases.
- Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass): Lightcast provides labor market, workforce, and postsecondary education outcome data to institutions, employers, and workforce organizations. Overlaps with Peterson's in connecting education programs to career outcomes and workforce decision-making.
Direct peers
- Niche: Niche aggregates K-12 and college data including rankings, reviews, and institutional statistics to power consumer-facing school search platforms. Comparable to Peterson's in the college and education data licensing space, particularly for EdTech and search-driven use cases.
- Cappex: Cappex is a college search and matching platform that licenses Peterson's data. As a downstream user and EdTech partner, it represents a comparable business model for education data-powered student tools.
- Xello: Xello is a college, career, and future-readiness platform for K-12 students that licenses Peterson's data to power college search and career planning features. Comparable as an EdTech consumer of education data and channel partner.
- National Student Clearinghouse: National Student Clearinghouse provides education verification, enrollment, and degree data services to institutions, employers, and credentialing organizations. Directly comparable to Peterson's as a B2B education data and credential verification infrastructure provider.
Emerging players
- Credly: Credly provides digital credentialing and badge infrastructure for education and workforce organizations. Overlaps with Peterson's Credentials Database in the alternative credentialing and workforce data space.
Others
- Common Data Set (CDS) Initiative: The Common Data Set is a collaborative effort among publishers and institutions to standardize higher education data reporting. While not a commercial competitor, CDS standards shape Peterson's data structure and align with competing data providers' methodologies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Peterson's Data social profiles
Digital presencePeterson's Data financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Peterson's Data leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Peterson's Data funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Peterson's Data 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 Peterson's Data
What does Peterson's Data do?
Peterson's Data collects, validates, and licenses higher education datasets covering undergraduate, graduate, scholarship, specialty, college cost, distance-learning, vocational, and credential information. It sells data access to organizations through B2B licensing, API delivery, flat files, and custom data projects.
Is Peterson's Data a public or private company?
Peterson's Data is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Peterson's Data founded?
Peterson's Data was founded in 1966. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Peterson's Data based?
Peterson's Data is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Peterson's Data make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Data Licensing is the primary driver. The others are custom Data Projects.
Who are Peterson's Data's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Chegg (College Search and Admissions Data), College Board, U.S. News & World Report (Education Rankings) and Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass). Direct peers are Niche, Cappex, Xello and National Student Clearinghouse. Credly is listed as an emerging player. Common Data Set (CDS) Initiative is listed as an others.
Does Peterson's Data have an API?
Yes. Peterson's Data offers an improved API (as of February 2022) that makes it easier for organizations to stay updated and connected with their data. Every data set offered is made available through the API deployment, allowing clients to access data on their schedule. The API supports both production-ready datasets with versioned definitions and flat-file delivery options. As of 2022, clients can rid themselves of flat files and get data on their schedule via API.
What industry is Peterson's Data in?
Peterson's Data's product category is Higher Education Data Licensing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFADAO, Transcript, Score Reporting & Verification/Credential Wallet Platforms, with a secondary code of EDADAKAE, Registrar, Records & Institutional Data Stewardship. Its NAICS code is 51314 and its SIC code is 7370.