How to select a college?

Thousands of colleges are located in big cities, suburbs, and small towns throughout the country. Some of the colleges have tens of thousands of students while others have only a few hundered. Some private institutions are affiliated with religious institutions; others are not. Some schools enroll only women, others only men.

Common Considerations:

Before you even start looking for a college you should ask the following questions to yourself:

  • Why do I want to go to college?
  • What do I hope to achieve in college?
  • Do I have some idea of what I want to study or for which job I want to prepare?
  • Do I want to live at home or go away to school?
  • Do I prefer an urban, suburban, or rural environment?
  • Would I be happier in a small college or at a large university?

Type of Education Offered

  • What is the philosophy of the particular college, and what kinds of educational programs does this college offer?
  • Ask about the college's specialties, which types of classes the school offers, and in which fields students can earn a degree or certificate. How many students study in each area, and what do they do when they graduate?

How long does it take to earn a certificate or degree at this college?

  • Students should know how much time it takes to complete a program before they enroll in it. Programs can last anywhere from a few months to several years. A
  • lso ask whether the time involved reflects full-time or part-time attendance.

Job Placement

  • What do students do when they graduate from this school?
  • Do they get jobs in the areas for which they were trained?
  • Do they pursue further education?
  • What are teh beginning salaries of program graduates?
  • What career advising and placemetn services are available to its students?

Transfer Students

  • Students who enroll in two-year colleges with plans to transfer to four-year colleges should inquire about the possibility of doing so and about the number of graduates who transfer each year.

Graudate Students

  •  Students applying to four-year colleges may want to know how many graduates go on to graduate or professional education.

The Quality of the College

  • How many students who start at this school earn a certificate or degree?
  • How many drop out? A high drop-out rate may suggest that students are dissatisfied with the education an institution provides.
  • What are the tuition refund policies for students who drop out in the first weeks of an educational program.

Loan Defaults

The default rate is the percentage of students who took out student loans to help pay their expenses but did not repay them properly. A high default rate may suggest that students who borrowed never completed their educational program, or that they were unable to find jobs and repay the loans when they graduated. Colleges with consistently high default rates may be barred from student loan programs, and students attending these institutions may thus be ineligible for Federal loans. Questions to ask:

  • What is the loan default rate at this college?
  • Do students repay their student loans?

Experiences of The Current Students and Alumni

  • Have other students who have gone to this college liked it?
  • What has their experience been?

College Facilities

You and your child should consider the condition of classrooms, libraries, and dormitories when choosing a college. The types of facilities appropriate for a college depend on the type of education provided. For example, a college offering classes in the sciences should have modern laboratories, and an institution that offers computer education classes should have adequate computer facilities.  Questions to ask:

  • What kinds of facilities does this college have?
  • Are they adequate for a student's needs?

Admissions Requirements and Financial Aid

  • What admissions requirements does this college have?
  • Is this college accredited by an agency recognized by the secretary of education and eligible to participate in federal student aid programs? Federal financial aid is available only to students attending eligible institutions. Students attending other institutions cannot receive federal financial aid. If you are interested in applying for federal financial aid, be wary of unaccredited institutions and those with high default rates.