Seasonal Data Question — Quick Answers

When is data updated?

Each school has three broad categories of data, and each updates on its own timeline. Traditional campus attributes — things like setting, size, or student-to-faculty ratio — don't change frequently. Admit results update once a year, but not all schools report at the same time. Application requirements are more granular still: a single school typically has 7 to 11 individual requirements, and even those don't move together — one school's requirements 1 through 6 might update in May, while requirements 7 through 11 don't update until August. There are more data categories beyond these three examples, but even this snapshot makes clear why CounselMore updates data continuously throughout the year, driven by what our users actually need at any given moment.

To make this as transparent as possible — more transparent than anywhere else in the data industry — CounselMore is the only product that date-stamps its data.

How do I check when a specific data point was last updated?

Click the "?" icon inside any data cell. This opens a box showing the exact date that piece of information was last updated and its source. Every data cell in CounselMore carries this timestamp — it's one of the only platforms that shows this level of transparency.

Based on the previous update date, you can reasonably assume the same data point will refresh again around the same time the following year. That's mostly true, though there are edge cases — schools sometimes make sudden changes mid-year or mid-cycle, and we catch those too.

In practice, that means a single application requirement might get updated in April, again in July, and again in October, because the school changed something in their Common App account, reported new information to Peterson's, updated their own website, or a counselor customer flagged something they learned from a campus tour or admissions presentation and asked us to follow up on it specifically.

How do I correct or submit a data update myself?

From the Counselor List or Student List, click the Menu button and select the data correction option. When you submit a correction this way, the information updates on your screen right away. Only information from a primary source (a college's own website or the Common App) is accepted — by submitting the actual URL where you found the information, our team can validate your source and add an additional layer of verification. This is what ensures CounselMore remains the most accurate and up-to-date admissions data resource available. But it works both ways: we need good information submitted in order to return good information. Your submission is reviewed and validated by our data team before it becomes part of the shared database — this is what makes CounselMore's data community-sourced rather than static. Correct Data on your Screen

How do I add a college that isn't in the database yet?

From Counselor List or Student List, click the round blue button, then "Add College by Name." If the school doesn't appear, you'll see a prompt reading "Didn't find the college you were looking for?" — click that, review the notice, and fill in the school's information. This works for U.S. and international schools alike.

Can I add a high school? Yes — our community has chosen to use the database this way, and it's supported because our mission is to help you counsel more.

Can I add a community college or a graduate school? Yes, though it's worth thinking through how you'll use the data columns for that type of institution. Before adding a school yourself, search using just the unique words in its name — the school is very likely already in the database, and a full-name search can cause you to miss it. If you specialize in graduate program or private independent school placement, we're happy to add schools on your behalf — just write to us and let us know, and we'll add them where it makes sense. Add a school into database

What does "Unreported," "Not Reported," or "Retired Data Point" mean?

• Unreported / Not Reported usually means the data is still loading — you are pulling more data than your Wi-Fi bandwidth will allow - try clicking to another tab and back, or reduce how many columns/schools you're pulling forward at once.
• Not Reported / Unreported means the college itself didn't report that data point to the agency we source from — this is a school-level choice, not a CounselMore gap. In most cases you will see the last known verified information date.
• Retired Data Point means the data supplier has stopped collecting that particular metric altogether, so CounselMore can no longer update it on a regular cycle. You can still add your own information to that cell, or send it to support@counselmore.com for a manual update.
• Hire our Data Team: In rare cases the information for a lesser known school may not be collected but you use the school in your process and need to open a research project. Our data detectives will hunt and validate data for your team. Email support for details.