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getUniversities

Read-only

Returns institutions matching the provided filters, closest name matches first, then by enrollment (largest first). At least one filter parameter (excluding offset/limit) is required. Free users can use name or country; all other filters are premium only. Closed institutions are excluded unless status is set.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "getUniversities"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
idNoReturn a single institution by its id (from a previous response). Closed institutions are included. Premium only.
cityNoThe city where the institution is located. Premium only.
nameNoThe name of the institution to search for. Partial match, case- and accent-insensitive (e.g., "Harvard" matches "Harvard University"). Also matches native-language names (e.g., 東京大学), acronyms (e.g., UNAM), former names, and the names of schools within a university (e.g., "Harvard Law School" returns Harvard University). At least one filter parameter (excluding offset/limit) must be provided.
levelNoThe type of institution. Premium only.
limitNoThe maximum number of results to return. Must be between 1 and 30. Default is 10 for premium users, fixed at 5 for free users. Premium only.
stateNoThe state, province or region where the institution is located, as a code (e.g., MA, ON) or a name (e.g., Bavaria). Premium only.
domainNoAn email domain or email address (e.g., student.mit.edu or jane@ox.ac.uk). Returns the institutions that use the domain; subdomains are matched to their parent domain. Main institutions are listed before their campuses and affiliated units. Premium only.
offsetNoThe number of results to skip. Must be zero or a positive integer. Default is 0. Premium only.
regionNoSame as state. Premium only.
statusNoactive (default), closed, or all. Closed institutions have stopped operating or merged into another institution. Premium only.active
controlNoOwnership. private means private with unknown profit status. Premium only.
countryNoThe country to filter by: an English country name or an ISO 3166 two- or three-letter code (e.g., Germany, DE or DEU). Case-insensitive. USA also returns US territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam. At least one filter parameter (excluding offset/limit) must be provided.
max_tuitionNoMaximum published annual tuition and fees (in USD). US institutions only. Premium only.
min_tuitionNoMinimum published annual tuition and fees (in USD). US institutions only. Premium only.
recognitionNoSet to recognized to return only institutions listed by a national education registry (e.g., IPEDS in the US, AISHE in India). Premium only.
max_enrolledNoMaximum number of enrolled students. Premium only.
min_enrolledNoMinimum number of enrolled students. Premium only.
max_faculty_ratioNoMaximum student-to-faculty ratio as a number (e.g., 20 for 20:1 ratio). US institutions only. Premium only.
min_faculty_ratioNoMinimum student-to-faculty ratio as a number (e.g., 15 for 15:1 ratio). US institutions only. Premium only.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observed

TDQS

A4.2/5.0
Behavior4/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations only declare readOnlyHint=true, so the description carries most of the behavioral load and does so: default exclusion of closed institutions, tier-gated filters, and deterministic sort order are all beyond what the annotation states. It stops short of explaining result volume, pagination totals, or the cost/latency profile a premium filter set implies.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Three sentences, front-loaded with the core behavior and ordering, then the hard usage constraints. Every clause carries a distinct rule; nothing is redundant or padding.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a 19-parameter tool with a sparse single annotation and no output schema, the description covers the critical cross-cutting rules an agent could otherwise get wrong (required filter, tier gating, default status filter). It leaves a modest gap by never sketching the returned institution shape or clarifying the id-based single-record path, which matters with no output schema to fall back on.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% and the per-parameter descriptions already carry 'Premium only', the one-filter minimum, and matching semantics, so the description largely restates structured data. Its cross-cutting summary (free vs premium filter split, ordering) adds framing but no per-parameter meaning the schema lacks, making baseline 3 appropriate.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

Opens with a specific verb+resource ('Returns institutions'), then immediately states the result ordering rule (closest name match, then enrollment descending). No sibling tool covers universities, so there is no ambiguity to resolve against alternatives.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives concrete invocation constraints: at least one non-pagination filter is required, free-tier users are limited to name/country, everything else is premium, and closed institutions are excluded unless status is set. No alternative tool exists to route to, so the absence of an explicit 'use X instead' clause is not a real gap.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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