Getting Started

The College Data API gives you programmatic access to India's most comprehensive normalized college dataset — 50,000+ colleges, alias-aware, location-standardized, and continuously updated.

Base URL

https://api.collegedb.in

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Quick start

1. Get an API key

Sign in with Google and create a free API key from the Dashboard. Free keys allow 50 requests per day.

2. Make your first request

curl "https://api.collegedb.in/v1/colleges/search?q=IIT+Bombay" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cdb_your_key_here"

3. Get the response

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "f47ac10b-58cc-4372-a567-0e02b2c3d479",
      "name": "Indian Institute of Technology Bombay",
      "city": "Mumbai",
      "state": "Maharashtra"
    }
  ],
  "query": "IIT Bombay"
}

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Response format

All responses are JSON. Successful responses return the data directly. Errors include an error field with a human-readable message.

{
  "error": "Missing API key. Use Authorization: Bearer <key> or X-API-Key header."
}

HTTP status codes

Code	Meaning
200	Success
400	Bad request (missing or invalid parameters)
401	Missing or invalid API key
403	API key has been revoked
404	Resource not found
429	Rate limit exceeded
500	Server error

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Next steps

• Authentication → — how to pass your API key
• Rate limits → — understand your plan's limits
• Search API → — full parameter reference