The American Enterprise Institute last month published an article on how Google did not include community colleges in its recently souped-up college search function. A search for a four-year institution automatically pulls up data -- much of it from the federal government -- on selectivity, tuition, graduation rates, student loan repayment rates and expected earnings. Community colleges, however, yielded results like any business, AEI noted. So did for-profit colleges.

Not anymore. Google made a change, and now community colleges and for-profits have their own specialized college dashboard (see below).

Cody Christensen, an AEI research associate who co-authored the article with Jason Delisle, a resident fellow there, said the expanded search function will help prospective students compare information about colleges across all sectors of higher education.

"Google’s update is a welcome development for those concerned about student outcomes," he said via email, "and is a good reminder of the role that private companies play in promoting higher education data and transparency."