About our Team

Established: 2015
Focus: Data-driven college rankings, program guides, and affordability research

Last updated: November 11, 2025

Since 2015, EDsmart has helped millions of students and potential learners find high-value degrees and career pathways.

Our mission is simple: turn complex higher-education data into clear, trustworthy guidance so students can make confident, cost-aware decisions.

Research & Methodology (Experience + Expertise)

For 10+ years, our in-house analysts have reviewed thousands of degree programs annually and validated findings against reputable datasets, including:

  • U.S. Department of Education: College Scorecard, NCES/IPEDS
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  • Georgetown University CEW labor-market research
  • Direct outreach to accredited institutions and professional associations

We synthesize objective indicators—such as net price, graduation and retention, selectivity, earnings, ROI, and program availability—to produce rankings and school profiles. Rankigns are updated annualy. See our full framework: EDsmart Rankings Methodology.

Editorial Standards (Authoritativeness)

  • All EDsmart rankings and guides are researched, written, and reviewed by trained human analysts.
  • All content undergoes multi-step fact-checking and editorial review prior to publication.
  • We cite primary data sources and timestamp updates on major pages.
  • We correct errors transparently—see our Corrections process below.

Explore our research coverage and media mentions: EDsmart Newsroom.

Independence & Integrity (Trust)

We keep advertising separate from editorial:

  • No pay-to-play: Schools are never ranked based on partnerships or payments.
  • Equal treatment: All institutions are evaluated with the same criteria.
  • Disclosure: Ads and sponsored placements are clearly labeled (“ad,” “sponsored,” or “advertising disclosure”).
  • Accreditation: Schools listed in degree rankings hold regional or national accreditation.

Our Vision

Quality education should be accessible, transparent, and affordable. We build tools and guides that help students reduce cost, improve outcomes, and avoid debt traps—with rankings that are easy to read and easy to verify.

How We Make Money at EDsmart

EDsmart earns revenue from clearly labeled advertising and student referral partnerships. We may receive compensation when users interact with ads or select schools via our program search tools. Advertising never influences rankings, scoring, or editorial coverage.

How We Maintain Editorial Independence

  • Rankings are based on objective data (e.g., admission rate, retention, graduation, program cost, alumni earnings, ROI).
  • No institution receives preferential treatment due to partnerships.
  • Our editorial team follows journalistic standards for sourcing, verification, balance, and clarity.
  • When helpful, we run original surveys to add user-centric insights.

Corrections & Feedback

If you spot an error, please contact our tstevens [at] edsmart.org. We review flagged items promptly and publish corrections when warranted.

Meet Our Team

Tyson Stevens - CEO & Founder

LinkedIn | Twitter | tstevens [at] edsmart.org

Tyson Stevens is the founder and CEO of EDsmart.org and a higher-education data analyst with more than a decade of experience studying U.S. colleges, student outcomes, and return-on-investment patterns. Since 2012, Tyson has analyzed federal education datasets including College Scorecard, IPEDS, NCES dashboards, BLS wage statistics, and research from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce to help students understand the true value of a college degree.

Over the past 10+ years, Tyson has developed EDsmart’s transparent, bias-free ranking methodology, published at edsmart.org/our-rankings/, which prioritizes affordability, student success, and long-term economic mobility. He has authored hundreds of higher-education data reports and guides, including analyses on ROI vs. Ivy League institutions, community college outcomes, affordability trends, tuition inflation, program-level earnings, and the hidden costs of higher education. Millions of students have used these rankings and insights to navigate their academic choices.

Tyson’s research and school evaluations have been cited by universities and organizations across the country, including HIU.edu, Tarleton.edu, ColumbusState.edu, Ashland.edu, SAUMag.edu, SunPoly.edu, NGU.edu, and LMC.edu. His mission at EDsmart has remained consistent: deliver clear, student-first insights that make higher-education decisions easier to understand, easier to compare, and grounded in publicly available data—not preference or pay-to-play structures.

Tyson holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from BYU–Idaho and continues to lead EDsmart.org as a trusted, data-driven resource for students seeking high-value educational pathways.

Expertise & Data Sources

Research Focus

  • ROI modeling for colleges and majors
  • Net price and affordability analysis
  • Retention and completion metrics
  • Regional economic comparisons
  • Program-level and credential-level earnings

Flagship Reports & Guides

Citations & Mentions

Tyson’s work has been referenced by institutions such as:

Guiding Philosophy

“EDsmart exists to give students clear, unbiased, data-driven answers during one of the most important—and expensive—decisions of their lives. No pay-to-play rankings, no hidden preferences. Just transparent insights that support better futures.”

Team EDsmart

  • Crystal Stevens - Content Manager
  • Jimmy Stevens - Marketing Manager | LinkedIn
  • Camille Nielsen - Staff Writer | Facebook, Instagram
  • Nicole Luth - Staff Writer | LinkedIn
  • Shari Stevens - Contributor | LinkedIn
  • Freelancers - Data Gathering & Research

Want to get in touch, please reach out to [email protected]

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