College Costs Dashboard

Overview

The College Costs Dashboard is an interactive Power BI report designed to help users analyze and compare tuition costs across colleges and universities in the United States. The dashboard enables users to examine tuition data by institution, geographic location, academic program, and credential type through a single-page interactive interface.

Rather than presenting static information, the dashboard allows users to dynamically filter data and instantly view updated summaries, comparisons, and detailed tuition information.

Data Model

The report follows a star schema data model consisting of one fact table and three dimension (lookup) tables.

Fact_Colleges

Stores tuition information for each institution, program, and credential combination.

Tuition_in-state, Tuition_out-of-state, DAX Measures

Dim_Schools

Contains institutional and geographic information.

School_name, State, City

Dim_Credential

Stores credential or award classifications.

credential_name

Dim_CIP4

Contains academic program information based on the 4-digit Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes.

cip4_title

The star-schema design improves report performance and simplifies filtering by connecting each dimension table directly to the central fact table.

Because many institutions offer multiple academic programs and award levels, each school may appear multiple times in the fact table, with separate tuition values for each program and credential combination.

DAX Measures

Several DAX measures are used to summarize tuition information and provide interactive insights throughout the report.

Average In-State Tuition

Calculates the average in-state tuition for all institutions included in the current filter context.

Average Out-of-State Tuition

Calculates the average out-of-state tuition for the selected institutions.

Tuition Gap

Measures the difference between average out-of-state tuition and average in-state tuition, allowing users to evaluate how much additional cost non-resident students typically pay.

Number of Schools

Counts the distinct institutions included in the current report selection.

Number of States and Territories

Calculates the number of unique states and U.S. territories represented after filters are applied.

Dashboard Title

A dynamic DAX measure that updates the report title based on the user's current selections, providing context as filters change.

Dashboard Layout

The report consists of a single interactive dashboard organized into four primary sections.

Header

The top section contains:

• Dashboard banner or logo

• Dynamic dashboard title generated using the Dashboard Title measure

Filters (Slicers)

Interactive slicers allow users to filter the report by:

• School Name

• State

• City

• Credential Type

• Academic Program (CIP4 Title)

Selecting one or more filters automatically updates every visualization on the page.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Five KPI cards summarize the selected data.

These include:

• Average In-State Tuition

• Average Out-of-State Tuition

• Tuition Gap

• Number of Schools

• Number of States and Territories

The KPI cards recalculate automatically whenever filters are changed.

Visualizations

Clustered Column Chart

This visualization compares average in-state tuition and average out-of-state tuition across states.

The chart helps users:

• Compare tuition costs between states.

• Identify states with higher education costs.

• Examine differences between resident and non-resident tuition.

• Detect states with the largest tuition gaps.

Tuition Detail Table

The detail table provides a complete breakdown of tuition information for each institution and program.

Displayed fields include:

• School Name

• State

• City

• Academic Program (CIP4 Title)

• Credential Type

• Total In-State Tuition

• Total Out-of-State Tuition

Users can use this table to locate tuition information for specific colleges, programs, and award levels.

Using the Dashboard

The dashboard is designed for interactive exploration.

Users can:

1. Filter the report by school, state, city, academic program, or credential type.

2. Review KPI cards to obtain summary statistics for the selected records.

3. Compare tuition costs across states using the clustered column chart.

4. Identify states with the largest differences between in-state and out-of-state tuition.

5. Examine detailed tuition information for individual institutions using the detail table.

Every chart, table, and KPI updates instantly as filters are applied, allowing users to perform customized tuition comparisons without modifying the underlying data.