# University Rankings Scraper — US News, 1,789 Schools (`commanding_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper`) Actor US News university rankings — 1,789 schools with rank, tuition, SAT/ACT, acceptance rate. 20+ fields. College comparison & education market research. - **URL**: https://apify.com/commanding\_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [qingwa](https://apify.com/commanding_hotdog) (community) - **Categories:** Education, Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## University Rankings Scraper Extract US college rankings from **US News Best Colleges API** — **1,789 schools** with **20+ fields** per record. ### Features - 🏆 **1,789 schools** from US News Best Colleges (2026 edition) - 📊 **20+ fields** per school (rank, tuition, SAT/ACT, acceptance rate, enrollment, reputation scores) - 🔄 **7 sort options** — rank, name, tuition, enrollment, acceptance rate - 🎯 **6 filter types** — state, public/private, rank range, tuition range - ⚡ **Fast JSON API** — no HTML parsing, no JavaScript rendering needed - 🔒 **TLS impersonation** — bypasses anti-bot protection with curl_cffi ### Output Fields | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `id` | string | School primary key | | `name` | string | School name | | `profile_url` | string | US News profile URL | | `city` | string | City | | `state` | string | State code (e.g., CA, NY) | | `zip` | string | ZIP code | | `region` | string | US region | | `school_type` | string | Category (national-universities, liberal-arts-colleges, etc.) | | `is_public` | boolean | Public or private | | `control` | string | institutionalControl (public/private/proprietary) | | `rank_display` | string | Display rank (e.g., "#1", "#105-115") | | `rank_numeric` | number | Numeric rank for sorting | | `is_tied` | boolean | Whether rank is tied | | `is_ranked` | boolean | Whether school is ranked | | `sat_avg` | number | Average SAT score | | `act_avg` | number | Average ACT score | | `sat_range` | string | SAT score range (e.g., "1510-1580") | | `act_range` | string | ACT score range (e.g., "34-35") | | `hs_gpa_avg` | number | Average high school GPA | | `acceptance_rate` | number | Admission rate | | `enrollment` | number | Undergraduate enrollment | | `tuition` | number | Annual tuition ($) | | `cost_after_aid` | number | Average cost after financial aid | | `pct_receiving_aid` | number | % of students receiving aid | | `engineering_rep_score` | number | Engineering program reputation (1-5) | | `business_rep_score` | number | Business program reputation (1-5) | | `source` | string | Data source (usnews.com) | | `ranking_year` | string | Ranking year (2026) | ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `sortBy` | Select | rank | Sort: rank/rank_desc/name/tuition_low/tuition_high/enrollment/acceptance_rate | | `maxResults` | Select | 200 | Max results: 50/100/200/500/1000/1789 | | `maxPages` | Select | 20 | Max API pages (10 schools/page): 10/20/50/100/179 | | `stateFilter` | Select | — | Filter by US state | | `typeFilter` | Select | — | Filter: public/private | | `minRank` | Text | — | Minimum rank | | `maxRank` | Text | — | Maximum rank | | `minTuition` | Select | — | Minimum tuition ($) | | `maxTuition` | Select | — | Maximum tuition ($) | ### Example Usage **Top 100 universities by rank:** ```json {"sortBy": "rank", "maxResults": "100", "maxPages": "10"} ```` **California public universities:** ```json {"stateFilter": "CA", "typeFilter": "public", "maxResults": "200"} ``` **Most affordable top-50 schools:** ```json {"sortBy": "tuition_low", "maxRank": "50", "maxResults": "50"} ``` ### Pricing $5 per 1,000 results. # Actor input Schema ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Sort order for results. ## `maxResults` (type: `string`): Maximum number of schools to return. ## `maxPages` (type: `string`): Maximum API pages to fetch (10 schools per page). ## `stateFilter` (type: `string`): Filter schools by US state code (e.g., CA, NY, TX). Leave blank for all. ## `typeFilter` (type: `string`): Filter by school type. ## `minRank` (type: `string`): Only include schools ranked >= this value. Leave blank for no filter. ## `maxRank` (type: `string`): Only include schools ranked <= this value. Leave blank for no filter. ## `minTuition` (type: `string`): Only include schools with tuition >= this value. ## `maxTuition` (type: `string`): Only include schools with tuition <= this value. ## Actor input object example ```json { "sortBy": "rank", "maxResults": "200", "maxPages": "20", "stateFilter": "", "typeFilter": "", "minRank": "", "maxRank": "", "minTuition": "", "maxTuition": "" } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sortBy": "rank", "maxResults": "200", "maxPages": "20", "stateFilter": "", "typeFilter": "", "minRank": "", "maxRank": "", "minTuition": "", "maxTuition": "" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("commanding_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sortBy": "rank", "maxResults": "200", "maxPages": "20", "stateFilter": "", "typeFilter": "", "minRank": "", "maxRank": "", "minTuition": "", "maxTuition": "", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("commanding_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sortBy": "rank", "maxResults": "200", "maxPages": "20", "stateFilter": "", "typeFilter": "", "minRank": "", "maxRank": "", "minTuition": "", "maxTuition": "" }' | apify call commanding_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=commanding_hotdog/university-rankings-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "University Rankings Scraper — US News, 1,789 Schools", "description": "US News university rankings — 1,789 schools with rank, tuition, SAT/ACT, acceptance rate. 20+ fields. College comparison & education market research.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "ysoIEwNITIChFcESf" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/commanding_hotdog~university-rankings-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-commanding_hotdog-university-rankings-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/commanding_hotdog~university-rankings-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-commanding_hotdog-university-rankings-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/commanding_hotdog~university-rankings-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-commanding_hotdog-university-rankings-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "sortBy": { "title": "Sort By", "enum": [ "rank", "rank_desc", "name", "tuition_low", "tuition_high", "enrollment", "acceptance_rate" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort order for results.", "default": "rank" }, "maxResults": { "title": "Maximum Results", "enum": [ "50", "100", "200", "500", "1000", "1789" ], "type": "string", "description": "Maximum number of schools to return.", "default": "200" }, "maxPages": { "title": "Max Pages to Fetch", "enum": [ "10", "20", "50", "100", "179" ], "type": "string", "description": "Maximum API pages to fetch (10 schools per page).", "default": "20" }, "stateFilter": { "title": "Filter by State", "enum": [ "", "AL", "AK", "AZ", "AR", "CA", "CO", "CT", "DE", "FL", "GA", "HI", "ID", "IL", "IN", "IA", "KS", "KY", "LA", "ME", "MD", "MA", "MI", "MN", "MS", "MO", "MT", "NE", "NV", "NH", "NJ", "NM", "NY", "NC", "ND", "OH", "OK", "OR", "PA", "RI", "SC", "SD", "TN", "TX", "UT", "VT", "VA", "WA", "WV", "WI", "WY", "DC" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter schools by US state code (e.g., CA, NY, TX). Leave blank for all.", "default": "" }, "typeFilter": { "title": "Filter by Type", "enum": [ "", "public", "private" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter by school type.", "default": "" }, "minRank": { "title": "Minimum Rank", "type": "string", "description": "Only include schools ranked >= this value. Leave blank for no filter.", "default": "" }, "maxRank": { "title": "Maximum Rank", "type": "string", "description": "Only include schools ranked <= this value. Leave blank for no filter.", "default": "" }, "minTuition": { "title": "Minimum Tuition ($)", "enum": [ "", "10000", "20000", "30000", "40000", "50000", "60000" ], "type": "string", "description": "Only include schools with tuition >= this value.", "default": "" }, "maxTuition": { "title": "Maximum Tuition ($)", "enum": [ "", "10000", "20000", "30000", "40000", "50000", "60000" ], "type": "string", "description": "Only include schools with tuition <= this value.", "default": "" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```