College Scorecard MCP Server vs Magic MCP
A side-by-side look at the College Scorecard MCP Server and Magic MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose College Scorecard MCP Server for education work as a local process; choose Magic MCP for architecture & design as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose College Scorecard MCP Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Education domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SCORECARD_API_KEY. - You want tools like
scorecard_search_schools, scorecard_get_school, scorecard_compare_schools.
Choose Magic MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Architecture & Design domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY, API_KEY_21ST.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Education | Architecture & Design |
| Quality signal | 57/100 · Good | 53/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Paid service |
| Required env vars | SCORECARD_API_KEY | TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEYAPI_KEY_21ST |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 6,209 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 16 views 1 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 9 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View College Scorecard MCP Server | View Magic MCP |
Tools & capabilities
College Scorecard MCP Server tools 9
scorecard_search_schoolsSearch institutions by name, location, type, size, acceptance rate, and single-sex flags; sort by supported API fields. Returns core identity and cost metrics.scorecard_get_schoolFull institutional profiles — costs, admissions, outcomes, aid, demographics, single-sex flags, and completion rates.scorecard_compare_schoolsNormalized side-by-side comparison of 2–5 schools on a named topic. Returns metric values, ordinal ranks, and a comparison summary.scorecard_get_programsField-of-study programs at one school: median 1-year earnings, cumulative Stafford/Grad PLUS debt, and IPEDS awards in the two pooled debt-cohort years.scorecard_search_programsFind programs by CIP and credential or keyword, retain degree identity, and rank earnings within each fetched school page.scorecard_get_earningsEarnings of federally aided undergraduate entrants working and not enrolled, regardless of completion: 6/8/10-year medians, 6/10-year P25/P75, and non-male/male 6-year medians.scorecard_value_analysisWorkflow tool: parallel-fetches cost, debt, repayment, and earnings data, then computes ROI metrics — debt-to-earnings ratio and net price to earnings ratio.scorecard_lookup_cipSearch 186 curated NCES CIP 2020 four-digit groups by code, keyword, or related program name. Served offline.scorecard_list_fieldsSearch the Scorecard field catalog by keyword. Returns matching field paths, descriptions, data types, and sort support. Use before passing custom `fields` parameters.
Magic MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
College Scorecard MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"college-scorecard-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@cyanheads/college-scorecard-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"SCORECARD_API_KEY": "YOUR_SCORECARD_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Magic MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"21st-dev-magic-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@21st-dev/cli@latest"
],
"env": {
"TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY": "YOUR_TWENTY_FIRST_API_KEY_HERE",
"API_KEY_21ST": "YOUR_API_KEY_21ST_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
College Scorecard MCP Server is categorized under Education and uses a local stdio subprocess. Magic MCP belongs to Architecture & Design and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick College Scorecard MCP Server for education work and Magic MCP for architecture & design.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
College Scorecard MCP Server has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: api key required. Magic MCP is listed as a paid service. Auth: api key required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add college-scorecard-mcp-server and 21st-dev-magic-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, College Scorecard MCP Server has a quality signal of 57/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Magic MCP has 53/100 (Good) with 16 views, 1 installs and 6,209 GitHub stars.