Questions to Ask College Admissions
The general set, for a student comparing colleges they could realistically attend and trying to work out which one is worth the money. It covers who teaches first year courses, how hard required classes are to get into, what four years actually cost, how aid renews, and what happens to students who change direction. If you have not applied yet and want the mechanics of how a file is read, that is Good Questions to Ask College Admissions; if a decision has already arrived, see What Questions to Ask College Admissions.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Who teaches the first year courses in my subject, faculty or graduate students?
Why ask it
Large universities staff introductory sections differently from the upper level courses in the brochure. Ask who teaches the lab or discussion section too, since that is where most of the contact hours are.
How big are the introductory classes I would take, and how big by junior year?
Why ask it
An average class size across the whole institution hides the two hundred seat lecture you would sit in for two years. Ask for the range in your subject, not the institutional average.
How easy is it to get into required courses when you need them?
Why ask it
Course bottlenecks are the most common reason degrees take longer than planned. Ask whether students in your major routinely need a fifth year, and what the department does about oversubscribed sections.
What is your four year graduation rate, and what usually pushes students past four years?
Why ask it
The reasons matter as much as the figure: course access, changing majors, co op programs, or students working long hours. Each of those means something different for your cost.
Of the students who start in my intended major, how many finish in it?
Why ask it
Attrition from demanding majors is normal and rarely volunteered. Ask where those students go instead, since a well supported switch is different from students being weeded out.
Which of my existing credits transfer, and do they satisfy requirements or only count as electives?
Why ask it
Advanced placement, dual enrollment, and transfer credit are treated inconsistently even between departments at the same school. The distinction between meeting a requirement and adding elective hours can be a full semester of tuition.
Who advises me in my first year, and how often would we actually meet?
Why ask it
A named advisor with scheduled meetings is a different experience from a shared inbox. Ask how many students each advisor carries, because that number predicts how much attention you get.
How do students get into research, internships, or clinical placements, and when does that usually start?
Why ask it
The mechanism is what matters: applications, faculty contacts, a required course, or luck. If opportunities depend on students knocking on doors, ask who helps the ones who do not know to knock.
Is housing guaranteed for all four years, and where do juniors and seniors live?
Why ask it
Guaranteed first year housing often becomes a scramble later, and off campus rents may not be covered by your aid calculation. Ask what proportion of upper year students live on campus.
What is the total cost for next year including all fees, and how much has it risen in each of the last three years?
Why ask it
Tuition is only part of it, and the trend line matters more than the current figure. A school that has raised costs steadily will keep doing so while your aid may not move with it.
Will my aid package be the same in later years, and what happens if my family's income changes?
Why ask it
First year offers sometimes include one time grants, and renewal rules vary. Ask specifically what happens if a parent loses work, since the process for reconsideration should exist and be describable.
If I have a merit scholarship, what grade point average keeps it, and how many students lose it?
Why ask it
Renewal conditions are frequently missed in the excitement of an award. Ask whether there is a warning semester or an appeal, and how often the requirement catches students out.
How many hours a week do students here work during the semester, and are campus jobs available to everyone?
Why ask it
This tells you how much of the day is really free for study. Ask whether work study jobs run out and what non work study students end up doing instead.
What is the current wait for a counseling appointment?
Why ask it
Ask for the number of days rather than a description of the service. A long wait is common, and knowing it now lets you look at what else exists locally.
How are academic accommodations arranged, and who talks to my professors?
Why ask it
The workable answer involves a documented process through a disability services office, not an expectation that a student negotiates each course themselves. Ask about turnaround time for setting them up.
What share of first year students come back for a second year?
Why ask it
Retention is the clearest published signal of whether students find the place workable. If the figure is low, ask what the college believes the reason is.
What are graduates of my program doing a year after they finish, and how do you collect that information?
Why ask it
Ask about the response rate behind the placement figure. A high sounding number gathered from a quarter of graduates is a survey of the ones doing well.
How do students get around, and does a first year student need a car?
Why ask it
Transport shapes cost, jobs, and internships. Ask what happens without a car in the evenings, since campus shuttles often stop earlier than students need.
What is the town like for students in the summer and over long breaks?
Why ask it
Some campuses empty completely, which matters if you cannot easily travel home or need year round work. Ask whether housing and dining stay open.
What kind of student tends to be unhappy here?
Why ask it
An honest answer names a real mismatch, students who wanted a city, or small classes, or a strong team sport culture. A claim that everyone thrives means you will have to find the answer from current students instead.
Deciding between colleges
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Compare net cost, not sticker price
The only figure worth comparing is what your family pays each year after grants and scholarships, including fees, housing, food, books, travel home, and a laptop if you need one. Write it out for four years, not one, and apply the school's own recent rate of increase. Then ask each admissions office to confirm your arithmetic in writing. Federal sources such as the College Scorecard publish average net price and typical debt by institution, which is a useful check on what you are told.
Ask the right office
- Admissions: application mechanics, deadlines, deposits, decisions.
- Financial aid: anything involving a dollar figure, renewal, or reconsideration. Get names.
- The academic department: who teaches what, course availability, research access, what graduates do.
- Disability services, counseling, and the registrar: accommodations, wait times, credit transfer. These answers are often more precise than the general ones.
Ways to check what you are told
- Look at the online course catalog for your intended major and count how often required courses are offered.
- Read the student newspaper for the past year. Recurring complaints are real.
- Ask two current students in your major the same question you asked admissions.
- Search the college's Common Data Set for class size distribution and retention figures rather than relying on averages quoted in conversation.
Warning signs
- An aid offer that will not be explained line by line, or that separates the loan portion unclearly from the grant portion.
- Pressure to deposit before you have received all decisions and offers.
- No one can tell you who teaches your first year courses.
- Placement statistics with no stated response rate or collection method.
- Vagueness about whether your existing credits meet requirements.