How to Search for Colleges

There are many ways to figure out what school is right for you.

Use the Tools on This Site

We have great tools for you in the Explore Colleges section of this site. You can use the Undergraduate Student-Campus Matching Assistant or the Comparative View to find campuses that fit many of the factors we have discussed in this section. Once you identify colleges that fit, check out the Campus Facts section to learn more about the campus. Most college profiles on this website have links to the official campus website so you can continue to collect information about possible campuses.

Family and Friends

Family and friends might also be a good source of leads on colleges. These leads may help you expand the choices of campuses to look at. Sometimes their suggestions are based on direct experiences — they may have attended a particular college or university. Other times they may have heard good things about a college. You can visit the Campus Facts section of this site to learn more about these campuses. It is important to remember to consider these leads along with the factors you have determined are most important to you. A recommendation could be used to help you find colleges that you may not have discovered on your own.

Counselors and Teachers

Counselors and teachers frequently have suggestions based upon their personal experiences or those of former students. You should certainly add your teachers' ideas to your list of colleges to explore. Counselors and sometimes teachers have opportunities to meet with college representatives. This allows them to learn about a wide range of colleges.