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Resources / Prepare And Apply

How to Make a Great College Choice

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As you look over your college acceptances, your final decision may be obvious. But sometimes it isn't. Here are some tips for choosing which college to attend.

1. Review Your TOP College priorities

Have you changed your mind about any of the criteria you used when you put together your college list? Which college or colleges meet the criteria most important to you now?

2. Eliminate colleges you really can't afford

Review your aid offers and remove any colleges that are unaffordable from your list, or decide to ask for more aid (see below).

3. Participate in college-sponsored online events

Many colleges offer online and virtual programming to help students get to know the college. Take advantage of these options if you can — especially those that can connect you with current students and faculty.

4. Do more research

5. Get advice

Talk over your choices with your parents, older siblings, teachers, guidance counselor and anyone else whose opinion you value.

6. Consider visiting

If possible, make a visit to the college campus or attend an event for admitted students. An in-person visit while school is in session can help you get a feeling for what life is like on campus. Admitted student events often include a campus tour, information about academic programs, discussions with current students, and the opportunity to meet with a financial aid officer. Many colleges hold these events online as well as in person.

7. Carefully Review College Costs

Your college decision may be influenced by how much the college costs. Make sure you understand your financial aid offers and the net price (how much you and your family will be expected to pay out of pocket at each college). See these tips for comparing financial aid awards.

If your top college did not offer you enough financial aid to make it affordable, you can appeal for more financial aid. To make your appeal, you will need to present the college's financial aid office with adequate documentation of special circumstances that affect you and your family’s ability to pay for college.

Special circumstances colleges typically consider in an aid appeal include:

• Job loss or decrease in income

• The death, divorce or separation of your parents

• Special needs or disabled children

• Unreimbursed medical and dental expenses

• Catastrophic loss such as damage or loss from a natural disaster

• End of child support, Social Security benefits for a child, or alimony payments.

Dealing with Hard-to-Make College Decisions

• If several colleges are running neck and neck. Ask yourself where you want to be in four years. If you can pinpoint a reasonable job and financial outlook, consider which college might best help you reach those goals. Or, research the departments you’d be studying in. Is one school better known for your major? Are faculty actively engaged on campus and in your field? Other tie-breaking factors might be cost, campus location, culture and size.

• Look at student outcomes. Data showing four-year graduation rates, the percentage of students employed after graduation, and average student debt may also help you determine which college might be the best choice in the long run. You can find this information on CollegeData, in the college profiles using College Search.

• If none of your accepted colleges stand out. Bear in mind that you can have a great college experience at any number of schools. The effort you put into succeeding at college can make much more of a difference than which college you choose.

Choosing a college should depend on your educational priorities, but sometimes you also need to trust your “gut feeling." When you are ready, take a deep breath, decide, and celebrate. You are going to college!