Methodology
How Firsthand Education Ranks and Reviews Programs
Firsthand Education's methodology in brief
Firsthand Education scores every learning program and tool on five published, fixed-weight criteria: Outcomes (30%), Cost & Value (25%), Academics (20%), Support Services (15%), and Flexibility (10%). Crucially, Firsthand does NOT independently audit schools or programs, and it does NOT conduct student surveys. Every rating is built from analysis of officially published data — accreditor databases and the U.S. Department of Education's Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), U.S. Department of Education sources such as College Scorecard, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and each provider's own published pricing, curriculum, accreditation, and outcomes documentation. Because prices and programs change, every number is cited to a primary source with an "as of" date; where a figure cannot be verified we describe it qualitatively or omit it rather than guess. When a provider's completion, placement, or salary numbers are self-reported and unaudited, we label them as self-reported and never present them as independently verified. Firsthand Education is reader-supported and may earn affiliate commissions, but that compensation never changes a score or a ranking. Every review lists at least one genuine con and is editorially fact-checked against its cited sources before publication. This is informational content, not academic, career, or financial advice.
Education reviews carry real weight because they touch careers and money, so we are explicit about our evidence. Firsthand Education does not independently audit schools or programs, and it does not conduct student surveys. Instead, every rating is built from analysis of officially published data — accreditor databases and the U.S. Department of Education's Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), U.S. Department of Education sources such as College Scorecard, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and each provider's own published pricing, curriculum, accreditation, and outcomes documentation. Because prices and programs change, every number in our reviews is cited to a primary source with an 'as of' date, and where we cannot verify a figure we describe it qualitatively or omit it rather than guess. When a provider's completion, placement, or salary numbers are self-reported and unaudited, we label them as self-reported and never present them as independently verified.
The five scoring criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What we evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | 30% | What the credential or program is designed to lead to — and what the officially published or provider-disclosed data shows. We read outcomes evidence from primary sources: the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, accreditor databases, and, for bootcamps, standardized reports (e.g. CIRR). When a provider's completion, placement, or salary figures are self-reported and not independently audited, we say so explicitly and never present them as verified. Firsthand does not survey students or audit outcomes; where a figure cannot be verified from a primary source we describe it qualitatively or omit it. |
| Cost & Value | 25% | Official price versus what the program delivers, always cited to the provider's own published pricing page with an as-of date. Free tiers, subscription costs, one-time fees, financing terms, and what is included (certificates, graded work, mentorship) are weighed against alternatives that deliver the same benefit. Opaque, fast-changing, or promotion-dependent pricing lowers the score; genuinely free access from a nonprofit is credited. |
| Academic Quality | 20% | The substance of the learning experience as documented: curriculum depth and structure, the credibility of the institutions or instructors behind it, accreditation or recognized-credential status where it applies, and how the material is taught. We credit accreditation only when we can confirm it in an accreditor database or the Department of Education's DAPIP, and we distinguish a certificate of completion from an accredited credential. |
| Support Services | 15% | The documented support around the learning: instructor or mentor access, feedback and grading, community and peer review, career services where offered, and the breadth of published help and refund policies. We credit only what the provider documents, and we note when a valued feature (e.g. graded assignments, mentorship, community feedback) is gated behind a higher-priced tier. |
| Flexibility & Access | 10% | How easily a learner can fit the program into real life: self-paced versus cohort schedules, mobile and offline access, device and platform availability, language options, and how much of the advertised experience works without a specific device or subscription tier — all drawn from official documentation. |
We analyze published data — we do not audit schools or survey students
This is the most important thing to understand about our education ratings: Firsthand does not independently audit schools or programs, and we do not conduct student surveys. We do not verify a provider's internal completion, placement, or salary figures ourselves, and we will not present a self-reported number as if it were independently confirmed.
Instead, every criterion is assessed from primary documentation: accreditor databases and the Department of Education's DAPIP for accreditation, College Scorecard and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for outcome and wage context, standardized bootcamp reports such as CIRR where they exist, and each provider's own published pricing, curriculum, and outcomes pages. When a provider reports its own outcomes, we label them as self-reported and cite the primary document. Where a claim cannot be verified from a primary source, we describe it qualitatively or leave it out. We never invent a price, an accreditation status, a placement rate, or a salary figure.
Independence: how compensation never touches the scores
- We review programs we don't earn from. Category rankings include programs with no affiliate relationship — including free, nonprofit options. If the best option in a category pays us nothing, it still ranks where the rubric puts it.
- Rankings are never sold. No provider can pay for a position, a score, or a favorable sentence. There are no "sponsored" slots inside our rankings.
- Affiliate commissions never change scores. Scoring is completed against the rubric before monetization is considered. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
- Every review lists at least one genuine con. If we recommend a program, we also tell you where it falls short — a missing free tier, a certificate that isn't accreditation, an open marketplace with variable quality, or a subscription cost.
- Self-reported outcomes are labeled as self-reported. When a provider publishes its own completion, placement, or salary numbers, we attribute them to the provider and never present them as independently verified. Firsthand does not audit programs; this is documentation analysis and editorial fact-checking, not an audit or a survey. See our editorial policy.
- Pages carry as-of dates. Prices, programs, and accreditation change. Each ranking and review shows when it was last updated and dates every figure that can change, and we re-check pages when pricing, curriculum, or accreditation changes.
What a score means
Each criterion is scored 0–10 against the rubric above, multiplied by its weight, and summed into a final score out of 10. Programs in the same category are scored against the same rubric, so scores are directly comparable within a ranking. A high score is not a guarantee of a job, a credential's value, or a learning outcome — it means the program looked strong, on its published pricing, curriculum, accreditation, and documented outcomes, on outcomes, cost and value, academics, support, and flexibility relative to its competitors. This content is informational only and is not academic, career, or financial advice; verify current details with the provider and official sources before enrolling.