Affiliate links and referral compensation

CampusGrader may participate in affiliate, referral or partner programs offered by third-party companies.

When an affiliate link is used, the link may contain tracking information that enables the third-party provider or affiliate network to recognize that a visitor was referred by CampusGrader.

Compensation may be based on actions such as:

• Completing a qualifying purchase.
• Requesting information.
• Starting or completing an application.
• Registering for a product or service.
• Booking an eligible service.
• Completing another qualifying action defined by the provider.

CampusGrader may receive compensation even when the visitor does not make a direct payment to CampusGrader.

Commercial relationships do not control reviews or grades

Affiliate commissions, advertising arrangements, referral payments, sponsorships and partnerships do not determine CampusGrader’s public college ratings, letter grades or moderation decisions.

Only approved reviews may affect:

• Public star ratings.
• CampusGrader letter grades.
• The six CampusGrader category scores.
• Approved review counts.
• College comparisons.
• College rankings.

Pending, rejected, removed and unapproved reviews do not affect public results. A college must have at least three approved reviews before receiving a numbered CampusGrader ranking.

Editorial recommendations and opinions

CampusGrader may publish guides, comparison tools, educational resources or recommendations that mention third-party products, programs or services.

The existence of an affiliate relationship does not guarantee that a company, product, service or offer will receive a recommendation.

CampusGrader aims to evaluate relevant factors such as usefulness, features, accessibility, transparency, value and suitability for the intended audience.

Recommendations are general information. They should not be treated as individualized admissions, financial, legal, tax, insurance or professional advice.

Sponsored content, advertisements and paid placements

CampusGrader may display sponsored content, advertisements, promoted listings or other compensated placements as the platform develops.

Commercial content should be identified through a clear label appropriate to the relationship.

Sponsored or paid material remains separate from student-review moderation and CampusGrader’s approved-review grading system.

Third-party products, services and offers

Affiliate or referral links may direct visitors to websites operated by third parties. CampusGrader does not control those external services.

Third-party providers control their own:

• Prices, fees and discounts.
• Availability and inventory.
• Eligibility requirements.
• Applications and approval decisions.
• Product and service features.
• Refund and cancellation policies.
• Terms of use and privacy practices.

An affiliate link does not guarantee that a visitor will qualify for, receive or be satisfied with a third-party product, service, program or offer.

CampusGrader is not responsible for a third party’s actions, website, products, services, prices, security or customer support.

Commercial relationships involving colleges

A college, university or education provider may advertise, sponsor content or participate in a future commercial relationship with CampusGrader.

A commercial relationship does not give that institution authority to:

• Approve or reject student reviews.
• Remove truthful criticism.
• Change review ratings.
• Increase its approved review count.
• Improve its CampusGrader letter grade.
• Receive a preferred numbered ranking.
• Control how competing colleges are presented.

Sponsored or paid institutional placements should be clearly identified and kept separate from independent profile information, approved student reviews and CampusGrader grades.

Where affiliate and sponsorship disclosures appear

CampusGrader aims to place a clear disclosure where visitors are reasonably likely to notice and understand the commercial relationship.

A disclosure may appear:

• Near the beginning of an article or guide.
• Immediately before or close to an affiliate link.
• Inside a comparison table or recommendation card.
• Beside a sponsored listing or advertisement.
• Within a social post containing a compensated recommendation.
• Near a button that may generate affiliate compensation.

A footer link to this Affiliate Disclosure provides additional information but does not replace a disclosure placed close to the commercial content.

Future affiliate and advertising programs

CampusGrader may not participate in every type of affiliate, sponsorship or advertising program described on this page at all times.

This disclosure is designed to explain the standards that will apply when a qualifying commercial relationship is active.

When CampusGrader activates a specific program, relevant pages should include disclosure language appropriate to that relationship.

CampusGrader may decline, suspend or end a commercial relationship that creates a conflict with review integrity, transparency or the independence of CampusGrader grades.

Changes to this Affiliate Disclosure

CampusGrader may update this disclosure when affiliate programs, advertising arrangements, sponsorships, partnerships, website features or applicable requirements change.

The revised disclosure will be posted on this page with an updated date. Individual pages may also contain more specific disclosure language relevant to the links or commercial relationships used there.