Search colleges and universities in the College Scorecard database. Returns matching schools with basic info: name, location, size, tuition, admission rate, median earnings, and completion rate. Args: name: Full or partial school name to search (e.g. 'Harvard', 'community college'). state: Two-le...
Part of the College Scorecard server.
Free to start. No card required.
AI agents call search_schools to retrieve information from College Scorecard without modifying any data. This is common in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows where the agent needs context before taking action. Because read operations don't change state, they are generally safe to allow without restrictions -- but you may still want rate limits to control API costs.
Even though search_schools only reads data, uncontrolled read access can leak sensitive information or rack up API costs. An agent caught in a retry loop could make thousands of calls per minute. A rate limit gives you a safety net without blocking legitimate use.
Read-only tools are safe to allow by default. No rate limit needed unless you want to control costs.
{
"version": "1",
"default": "deny",
"tools": {
"search_schools": {}
}
}See the full College Scorecard policy for all 4 tools.
These attack patterns abuse exactly the kind of access search_schools gives an agent. Each links to the full case and the policy that stops it:
Other read tools across the catalogue. The same approach applies to each: allow, with a rate cap to control cost.
Search colleges and universities in the College Scorecard database. Returns matching schools with basic info: name, location, size, tuition, admission rate, median earnings, and completion rate. Args: name: Full or partial school name to search (e.g. 'Harvard', 'community college'). state: Two-letter US state abbreviation (e.g. 'CA', 'NY') to filter by state. zip_code: Five-digit ZIP code for location-based search. Use with distance parameter. distance: Search radius in miles from zip_code. Only used when zip_code is provided. degree_type: Filter by predominant degree type: '1' (certificate), '2' (associate), '3' (bachelor), '4' (graduate). Omit for all types. limit: Maximum number of schools to return (default 25, max 100).. It is categorised as a Read tool in the College Scorecard MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
Register the College Scorecard MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_schools: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches College Scorecard. Nothing to install.
search_schools is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_schools rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_schools. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
search_schools is provided by the College Scorecard MCP server (https://mcp.olyport.com/college-scorecard/mcp). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
Deterministic rules across all 4 College Scorecard tools. Per-identity grants. Full audit log. Live in minutes. Nothing to install.
Free to start. No card required.
4,600+ MCP servers and 31,000+ tools scanned and risk-classified.