Benefits with Commonwealth of Virginia Members

Preparing for College: Choosing a School (Part 2)

What should I consider when comparing schools?

As you research colleges and career schools, consider such factors as cost, location, accreditation, and more. To find this information for a specific school, check the school's website, or search for the school using the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) college search tool, College Navigator: Link opens in a new windowhttps://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator.

School Costs and Net Price

• School costs can be one of the most important factors in choosing potential colleges or career schools—and costs can vary significantly from school to school. Learn about what is included in the cost of college and ways to reduce college costs.
• Any school that participates in the federal student aid programs is required to provide information on its cost of attendance and to offer a net price calculator on its website. Searching for a school's net price calculator is easy (Link opens in a new windowhttps://collegecost.ed.gov/net-price). This calculator will give you an idea of how much a program may cost after subtracting any financial aid.
• You can look up the cost and assess the value of colleges using the College Scorecard (Link opens in a new windowhttps://collegescorecard.ed.gov).

Financial Aid

• Many students worry that tuition and the other costs of continuing their education will be out of reach, but don't let the potential costs stop you. Most students receive some kind of financial aid, and a few students even get a "free ride," with all their costs covered. You should learn about financial aid, including grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.
• Always apply for all types of aid for which you might qualify, and meet all deadlines!
• Creating and managing a budget is a way to keep track of your income and expenses and save for your goals.

Admission Requirements

• Different schools have different admission requirements. Learn exactly what a school requires by visiting its website or checking in with its admissions office.
• Many U.S. colleges require that students submit standardized test scores as part of their application packages. For most undergraduate programs, you'll have to take either the SAT® (Link opens in a new windowhttps://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat) or the ACT® Test (Link opens in a new windowwww.act.org).

Accreditation

• An accredited school meets certain standards set by an independent agency. It helps ensure the training or education you get meets employer standards in a specific field. If you attend a school that isn't accredited, you might not be able to get any financial aid.
• Use the Office of Federal Student Aid's (FSA's) accreditation search page to check a particular school's standards or to find an accredited school in a particular field or location: Link opens in a new windowhttps://ope.ed.gov/DAPIP/#/home.

A diploma mill is an unaccredited school (or a business claiming to be a school) that awards a degree without requiring classwork that meets college-level standards. Some will send a "diploma" without you doing any work at all if you pay a fee. Others assign classwork that is so easy that your resulting degree is worthless, compared to a degree from an accredited school, and it won't help you get a good job. Learn more about diploma mills and how to avoid them here: Link opens in a new windowhttps://www2.ed.gov/students/prep/college/diplomamills/index.html.

Enrollment Contracts

• Read any school enrollment contract carefully before you sign it. The contract explains what the school will give you for your money.
• If a school representative promises you something (such as help finding a job) that's not in the contract, ask the representative to write that promise into the contract, and have it signed and dated. A promise is usually not enforceable unless it's in writing.

Refund Policies

• Find out the school's tuition refund policy. If you enroll but never begin classes, you should get most of your money back. If you begin attending classes but leave before completing your course work, you might be able to get some of your money back.
• Also find out the school's return-of-aid policy. If you receive federal student aid (except for Federal Work-Study) and you withdraw from school, some of that money might have to be given back to the source by you or your school.
• Even if you don't finish your course work, you'll have to repay the loan funds you received, minus any student loan funds your school has returned to the ED.

Past Complaints and Reputation

• Just because a school participates in the federal student aid programs doesn't mean they've endorsed the quality of education the school offers.
• To find out whether there have been any complaints about the school, contact your local Better Business Bureau (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.bbb.org), state higher education agency (Link opens in a new windowhttps://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html), or the consumer protection division of your state attorney general's office. Check with the agency that licenses or accredits the school to see whether it meets required standards (Link opens in a new windowhttps://ope.ed.gov/DAPIP/#/home).

Useful Statistics

Some numbers can help you evaluate schools.