40 Factors to Consider About Colleges

By
Sarah Frank
Published on
January 11, 2023

40 factors to consider when applying to college can be found below. These are not in any specific order and some will not apply to you-- use this as a launch pad for your own priority list and considerations!

General

  1. Private or public
  2. Size of school
  3. Geographic location
  4. Distance from home
  5. Distance from family

Academic + Career

  1. Class sizes
  2. School ranking
  3. Program/major ranking
  4. Student to faculty ratio
  5. Academic programs (ex: study abroad)
  6. Graduation rate
  7. Strictness of core curriculum
  8. Student support
  9. Research/internship opportunities 
  10. Alumni network
  11. STEM vs Humanities focus
  12. Major and minor options
  13. Advising 
  14. Work-study/campus job opportunities 
  15. Workload + rigor

Financial

  1. Cost of attendance
  2. Financial aid options / percentages 
  3. Scholarship policies

Student Life

  1. Dining options + cost
  2. On-campus vs off-campus housing
  3. Quality of dorms
  4. Single rooms vs doubles vs triples
  5. Program housing 
  6. Club options
  7. Religious life
  8. Greek life
  9. Diversity
  10. Party/social scene
  11. Campus quality
  12. Campus safety
  13. Campus walkability/parking options
  14. Surrounding area (suburban vs city vs rural)
  15. Ease of travel to and from
  16. On-site services (ex: gym, medical care, etc)
  17. Athletics

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