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 OpenAI Agents SDK 6 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: College Scorecard API
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/mcp

Built by Vinkius GDPR 6 Tools SDK

The OpenAI Agents SDK enables production-grade agent workflows in Python. Connect College Scorecard API through Vinkius and your agents gain typed, auto-discovered tools with built-in guardrails. no manual schema definitions required.

Get MCP Server for AI Agents

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Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

python

import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerStreamableHttp

async def main():
    # Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
    async with MCPServerStreamableHttp(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as mcp_server:

        agent = Agent(
            name="College Scorecard API Assistant",
            instructions=(
                "You help users interact with College Scorecard API. "
                "You have access to 6 tools."
            ),
            mcp_servers=[mcp_server],
        )

        result = await Runner.run(
            agent, "List all available tools from College Scorecard API"
        )
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

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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.

The OpenAI Agents SDK auto-discovers all 6 tools from College Scorecard API through native MCP integration. Build agents with built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns. chain multiple agents where one queries College Scorecard API, another analyzes results, and a third generates reports, all orchestrated through Vinkius.

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 OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the College Scorecard API MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents in your Python environment

Replace the token

Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your Vinkius token from cloud.vinkius.com

Run the script

Save the code above and run it: python agent.py

Explore tools

The agent will automatically discover 6 tools from College Scorecard API

Why Use OpenAI Agents SDK with the College Scorecard API MCP Server

OpenAI Agents SDK provides unique advantages when paired with College Scorecard API through the Model Context Protocol.

Native MCP integration via `MCPServerSse`, pass the URL and the SDK auto-discovers all tools with full type safety

Built-in guardrails, tracing, and handoff patterns let you build production-grade agents without reinventing safety infrastructure

Lightweight and composable: chain multiple agents and MCP servers in a single pipeline with minimal boilerplate

First-party OpenAI support ensures optimal compatibility with GPT models for tool calling and structured output

College Scorecard API + OpenAI Agents SDK Use Cases

Practical scenarios where OpenAI Agents SDK combined with the College Scorecard API MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Automated workflows: build agents that query College Scorecard API, process the data, and trigger follow-up actions autonomously

Multi-agent orchestration: create specialist agents. one queries College Scorecard API, another analyzes results, a third generates reports

Data enrichment pipelines: stream data through College Scorecard API tools and transform it with OpenAI models in a single async loop

Customer support bots: agents query College Scorecard API to resolve tickets, look up records, and update statuses without human intervention

College Scorecard API MCP Tools for OpenAI Agents SDK (6)

These 6 tools become available when you connect College Scorecard API to OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your OpenAI Agents SDK 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 OpenAI Agents SDK

Common issues when connecting College Scorecard API to OpenAI Agents SDK through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCPServerStreamableHttp not found

Ensure you have the latest version: pip install --upgrade openai-agents

Agent not calling tools

Make sure your prompt explicitly references the task the tools can help with.

College Scorecard API + OpenAI Agents SDK FAQ

Common questions about integrating College Scorecard API MCP Server with OpenAI Agents SDK.

How does the OpenAI Agents SDK connect to MCP?

Use MCPServerSse(url=...) to create a server connection. The SDK auto-discovers all tools and makes them available to your agent with full type information.