About CalculatedPath

College admissions is one of the highest-stakes decisions a family makes, and the information available is often incomplete, misleading, or designed to sell something. CalculatedPath exists to change that.

We provide free, data-driven guidance grounded in primary sources: official university statistics, federal datasets, and verified program information. Every claim on this site is backed by a citation you can click and verify yourself.

What We Cover

Our guides span the full college decision, from whether college is the right path at all to navigating the UC system, writing essays, preparing for standardized tests, applying as an international student, paying for school, and building a strong extracurricular profile. We also build free tools like our UC GPA Calculator to help students understand exactly where they stand.

Our Approach

  • Data first. We cite primary sources and link directly to the data. No vague claims, no round numbers presented as fact.
  • Honest about tradeoffs. College is not the right choice for everyone. We present trade schools, apprenticeships, and alternative paths alongside traditional four-year degrees because the best decision depends on the individual.
  • Free and independent. Our guides are free to read. We are not affiliated with any university, test prep company, or admissions consulting firm.
  • No fluff. Every article earns its length. We respect your time and your intelligence.

Who We Are

CalculatedPath was built by a parent and engineer who believes families deserve transparent, accurate information when making decisions about higher education. The same rigor applied to engineering mission-critical software is applied here: verify the data, cite the source, and never publish something you would not stake your reputation on.

Get in Touch

Have a question, correction, or suggestion? We would love to hear from you at hello@calculatedpath.com.