How do I find my College Scorecard API Key?

Register for a free API Key at [**Data.gov**](https://api.data.gov/signup/). Your key will be displayed instantly and sent via email. Copy and paste it below.

Can the agent filter by school state?

Yes. Use the `list_colleges_by_state` tool providing the 2-letter ISO state code (e.g., 'CA' for California). Your agent will return all matching schools in that state instantly.

Is student body size data provided?

Yes. The school records retrieved by your agent include the latest official student size (enrollment) for undergraduate programs where available.

College Scorecard API MCP Server for Google ADK 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: College Scorecard API
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

google.github.io/adk-docs/tools/mcp-tools

Built by Vinkius GDPR 6 Tools SDK

Google Agent Development Kit (ADK) is Google's framework for building production AI agents. Add College Scorecard API as an MCP tool provider through Vinkius and your ADK agents can call every tool with full schema introspection.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER

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Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

from google.adk.agents import Agent
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool import McpToolset
from google.adk.tools.mcp_tool.mcp_session_manager import (
    StreamableHTTPConnectionParams,
)

# Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
mcp_tools = McpToolset(
    connection_params=StreamableHTTPConnectionParams(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp",
    )
)

agent = Agent(
    model="gemini-2.5-pro",
    name="college_scorecard_api_agent",
    instruction=(
        "You help users interact with College Scorecard API "
        "using 6 available tools."
    ),
    tools=[mcp_tools],
)

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About College Scorecard API MCP Server

Empower your AI agent to orchestrate your entire higher education research workflow with College Scorecard API, the authoritative source for United States school performance and cost data. By connecting the Department of Education's API to your agent, you transform complex college searches into a natural conversation. Your agent can instantly search for schools, audit enrollment metadata, and retrieve detailed program reports without you ever touching a government portal. Whether you are a student planning your future or a researcher monitoring academic trends, your agent acts as a real-time education consultant, ensuring your data is always grounded in official, government-verified records.

Google ADK natively supports College Scorecard API as an MCP tool provider. declare Vinkius Edge URL and the framework handles discovery, validation, and execution automatically. Combine 6 tools with Gemini's long-context reasoning for complex multi-tool workflows, with production-ready session management and evaluation built in.

What you can do

School Auditing — Search for thousands of US colleges and universities by name and retrieve detailed metadata, including location and website links.
Enrollment Oversight — Retrieve latest student body size and demographics to maintain a clear view of campus scale.
Geographic Discovery — List schools by state, city, or near specific ZIP codes to identify regional academic hubs instantly.
Program Intelligence — Query specific fields of study and program data to understand the academic offerings of different institutions.
Cost Analysis — Retrieve data on tuition and costs to assist in financial planning for higher education.

The College Scorecard API MCP Server exposes 6 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Google ADK in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect College Scorecard API to Google ADK via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the College Scorecard API MCP Server with Google ADK.

Install Google ADK

Run pip install google-adk

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token

Create the agent

Save the code above and integrate into your ADK workflow

Explore tools

The agent will discover 6 tools from College Scorecard API via MCP

Why Use Google ADK with the College Scorecard API MCP Server

Google ADK provides unique advantages when paired with College Scorecard API through the Model Context Protocol.

Google ADK natively supports MCP tool servers. declare a tool provider and the framework handles discovery, validation, and execution

Built on Gemini models, ADK provides long-context reasoning ideal for complex multi-tool workflows with College Scorecard API

Production-ready features like session management, evaluation, and deployment come built-in. not bolted on

Seamless integration with Google Cloud services means you can combine College Scorecard API tools with BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Cloud Functions

College Scorecard API + Google ADK Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Google ADK combined with the College Scorecard API MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Enterprise data agents: ADK agents query College Scorecard API and cross-reference results with internal databases for comprehensive analysis

Multi-modal workflows: combine College Scorecard API tool responses with Gemini's vision and language capabilities in a single agent

Automated compliance checks: schedule ADK agents to query College Scorecard API regularly and flag policy violations or configuration drift

Internal tool platforms: build self-service agent platforms where teams connect their own MCP servers including College Scorecard API

College Scorecard API MCP Tools for Google ADK (6)

These 6 tools become available when you connect College Scorecard API to Google ADK via MCP:

get_college_details

Get full details for a specific college by ID

get_fields_of_study

Get details for specific programs or fields of study

list_colleges_by_city

List schools in a specific city

list_colleges_by_state

List all schools in a specific state

list_colleges_by_zip

List schools near a specific ZIP code

search_colleges

Search for colleges and universities in the US

Example Prompts for College Scorecard API in Google ADK

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Google ADK agent to start working with College Scorecard API immediately.

"Search for schools named 'Harvard' using College Scorecard API."

"List colleges in the state of 'NY'."

"What is the student size for school ID 166027?"

Troubleshooting College Scorecard API MCP Server with Google ADK

Common issues when connecting College Scorecard API to Google ADK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

McpToolset not found

Update: pip install --upgrade google-adk

College Scorecard API + Google ADK FAQ

Common questions about integrating College Scorecard API MCP Server with Google ADK.

How does Google ADK connect to MCP servers?

Import the MCP toolset class and pass the server URL. ADK discovers and registers all tools automatically, making them available to your agent's tool-use loop.

Can ADK agents use multiple MCP servers?

Yes. Declare multiple MCP tool providers in your agent configuration. ADK merges all tool schemas and the agent can call tools from any server in a single turn.

Which Gemini models work best with MCP tools?

Gemini 2.0 Flash and Pro models both support function calling required for MCP tools. Flash is recommended for latency-sensitive use cases, Pro for complex reasoning.