Scheduling Official College Visits

Students can begin visiting colleges as early as the 9th grade. Popular times to attend college visits are the summer before junior year and throughout 11th-grade year. If you are visiting throughout your Senior year, consider the major application deadlines. For example, you may not want to schedule a college visit the day before the application priority deadline. 

Junior and Senior Visit Timeline:

• Junior year: Visit during school breaks, weekends or any time that fits your schedule.

• Senior year: Schedule visits during the fall that your child hasn’t had a chance to visit, prior to the application deadline. 

Reminder: Students can visit colleges after being admitted. Some colleges even have an Admitted Student Day event, for students who have already been admitted.

If you are scheduling college visits during your school day, please be mindful of the class work you are missing. This work will need to be made up.

Think about a time and date that works best for you and your schedule. Every college has their own schedule for students to visit. . Some colleges have very specific visit days outlined and others allow you to visit whenever you’d like, during regular business hours. Some colleges are also open on select Saturdays.  

Allow plenty of time for your college visit. College visits vary in length. Be sure to look at your college visit schedule to see how much time you need to allot for.

Pro Tip: Do not schedule more than one college visit in a day. Although convenient sometimes, one college visit in a day is plenty.

Create a short list of what your ideal visit will look like. You may not know what all options you have until you schedule the visit. Things to think about:

• Attend an on-campus, personal visit if available.

• Opt for a large group visit day.

• Do a visit day specific to your child’s interests, like an admitted student visit day, engineering visit day, or transfer visit day.

Create a list of questions you would like answered while visiting. Ideas of questions could include, but are not limited to:

• Are students required to live on campus during their first year?

• What are the on-campus dining options

• What is the average class size

• What tutoring and additional academic support is available for students

• How safe is the campus? What measures are in-place to maintain a safe & secure campus.

There are two ways to register for a college visit:

• Call the Admissions Office. All colleges should have an office coordinator that is eager to schedule your visit. You may find the Admission office phone number on the college's website (Google Search: College Name + Admissions).

• Register for a visit online: 

1. Navigate the website Click on “Admissions” on the college’s website, ensuring you’re on the undergraduate admissions section of the website.

2. Click "Visit."

3. Choose your preferred type of visit.

4. Fill out the information when prompted.

5. If given the option, indicate any specific requests.

6. Check for an email confirmation.

7. Create an account (if required)

8. Modify confirmation, if necessary. 

If you have any questions, the Admissions office at the college is always happy to help!