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Choosing a School

You’ve taken all the tests and made the grades, and now it’s the moment of truth, deciding where to go to school! With so many schools to choose from, it could take forever to find the perfect one for you. Non-federal financial assistance programs and requirements often vary from school to school. Always check with your school before applying for financial aid.

Assess Yourself

The first step to finding the right program and type of school for you is to evaluate your interests. A self-assessment will help you examine your interests and goals, and offers ideas on fields of study and careers that might be right for you.

Things to Consider

Getting training after high school may help you get a better-paying job doing work you like. But going to school is a big investment. You’re investing your time. Chances are you’ll also have to invest your own money or take out a student loan to go to school. So you need to be sure that you’re choosing the right school.

Talk to your counselor. Your school counselor is the first stop for information about the options available to you. Counselors can help you focus on your needs and goals, and they have information about different types of schools. Your counselor also can help you collect or prepare application materials.

Shop around. Contact more than one school. If you’re looking for vocational training, check the Yellow Pages under “Schools” for phone numbers. If your area has a community college, call the admissions office and find out what kinds of training the college offers.

Visit the school. Call the school and schedule a visit, preferably while classes are being taught. Get a feel for the school; make sure you’re comfortable with the facilities, the equipment, the teachers, and the students.

Look for a degree program now.

Don’t be afraid to ask! A good school will be happy to answer your questions about its programs. Ask the school about its students: How many graduate? How many get jobs because of the training they received? What kind of job placement services does the school offer students and graduates?

Check the cost. Make sure the school gives you a clear statement of its tuition and fees. Remember that any federal financial aid you get will be applied first to paying the school’s tuition and fees. If there’s any money left over, the school will give it to you to help you pay for things such as food and rent.

Call these numbers. Call your local Better Business Bureau, state higher education agency, or consumer protection division of your state attorney general’s office to find out whether there have been any complaints about the school.

When looking at schools, take note of the dates and timeline of the program. How many years will it take? How many days of the year? How many days a week? How many hours a week? Then look into more specifics. Will you have to attend every class? Will you have multiple examinations throughout the program? Can you do your work remotely? Will it be easy to commute to class?

Accreditation

What is accreditation?

Accreditation is certification that the educational program (s) at a school meet a certain level of quality. Independent organizations called accrediting agencies evaluate schools and award accreditation. The U.S. Dept. of Education doesn’t accredit schools.

What if the school I choose isn’t accredited?

You might not be able to get any financial aid to help you attend the school. The U.S. Department of Education requires that schools that participate in our federal student aid programs be accredited. You also could find that your state education agency’s aid programs won’t pay for your attendance at unaccredited schools.

You might not be able to transfer to another school. For instance, if you attend an unaccredited two-year school and then transfer to a four-year school to finish your education, you might have to start over again at the four-year school if it doesn’t recognize the classes you took at the two-year school.

You might not be able to get a good job. Unaccredited schools generally don’t have as good a reputation as accredited schools do. Many employers won’t hire someone with a certificate from a school they’ve never heard of or know is unaccredited.

What’s a diploma mill?

A diploma mill is an unaccredited school (or a business claiming to be a school) that awards a degree without requiring classwork meeting college-level standards. Some will send a “diploma” without the student doing any work at all—the student simply pays a fee. Others assign classwork that is so easy, the student’s resulting degree is worthless compared to a degree from an accredited school.

College Costs

Colleges that charge $20,000 per year and more do exist, but they are the exception. In 2005-2006, the average in-state full-time tuition and fees per year for an undergraduate at a four-year public university was $5,206. (Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey.) Typically, community colleges cost less and private schools cost more.

Types of Schools

Most postsecondary schools can be described as public or private, two-year or four-year.

Public institutions are state supported. Private for-profit institutions are businesses. Private not-for-profit institutions are independent — for instance, the school might have been established by a church or through local community donations rather than by the state government.

Four-year institutions offer bachelor’s degrees, and some offer advanced degrees. Two-year institutions offer associate’s degrees. Less-than-two-year institutions offer training and award certificates of completion.

College – A four-year college grants bachelor’s degrees (Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Science). Some colleges also award master’s degrees.

University – A university grants bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and sometimes includes a professional school such as a law school or medical school. Universities tend to be larger than colleges, focus more on scholarly or scientific research, and might have larger class sizes.

Community college – A public two-year college granting associate’s degrees and sometimes certificates in particular technical (career-related) subjects. Some students start their postsecondary education at a community college and then transfer to a four-year school, either because a community college tends to be cheaper than a four-year college, or because admissions standards at community colleges are often less stringent than at four-year schools.

Junior college – Similar to a community college, except that a junior college is usually a private school.

Career school, technical school, or vocational/trade school- These terms are often used interchangeably. May be public or private, two-year or less-than-two-year. Career schools offer courses that are designed to prepare students for specific careers, from welding to cosmetology to medical imaging, etc. The difference between technical schools and trade schools is that technical schools teach the science behind the occupation, while trade schools focus on hands-on application of skills needed to do the job. Last updated/reviewed October 30, 2006

Distance Learning

Lots of schools are experimenting with distance learning—whereby students access lectures or course materials via the Internet or through other electronic media rather than in person. Whether a distance learning course or degree is right for you is a matter of personal preference. You should note that not every distance learning course or degree is accredited and/or eligible for federal student aid. To find out whether you can receive federal student aid for your program, check with your school’s financial aid professional.

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