Federal Trade Commission | consumer.ftc.gov

Choosing a College

Questions to Ask

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Getting a degree or professional certification can improve your career choices. For-profit schools 

generally offer certificates or degrees and often 

specialize in career and job-related training. Unlike 

non-profit educational institutions, they generate 

profits for their owners. As you evaluate your options, 

be aware that some schools may stretch the truth to 

persuade you to enroll.

Questions to Ask

Some schools may take your money and leave you 

without the training and qualifications to get into the 

career you want. They tell you to sign up for courses 

that don’t suit your needs, or press you to take out 

loans that will be hard to pay off. Before committing 

to any program, do some research, know exactly what 

you’re paying for, and determine if you’ll end up with 

the credentials you want.

You can get important information about any school at 

the Department of Education’s (ED) College Navigator 

at nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator. For example, if you 

enter a school’s name, you can find out if it is public or 

private, if it is for-profit or non-profit, its accreditation 

status, and its student loan default rates.

Ask some key questions to help you avoid pitfalls as 

you pick the college that’s right for you.
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What’s the total cost?

Will you pay by the course, semester, or program? Are 

there fees for dropping or adding a class? How much 

will you pay for books, equipment, uniforms, lab fees, 

or graduation fees?

How will I pay for it? Will federal loans 

cover the cost?

You may be eligible for federal financial student aid 

that may offer more favorable terms than a private 

loan. ED administers several major student aid 

programs – grants, loans, and work-study programs. 

Get details at ED’s StudentAid.gov. There is a 

lifetime cap on the total amount of federal loans a 

student can take out and you might hit the cap before 

you’ve finished your education. Some research and 

planning can help you avoid getting stuck in a private 

loan with less favorable terms. Consider different 

options, too. For example, community colleges often 

offer similar programs for a fraction of the price of 

for-profit colleges.

Will this school get me where I want to 

go? Will I earn the credentials I want?

Some schools may try to hide the number of classes 

or amount of time it will take to complete a program. 

Some might change course requirements after you 

enroll. Don’t commit to any program unless you 

understand what you’ll have to do to complete it. Get 
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details about each required course, including when it 

is offered, how long it takes to complete, and other 

requirements for the degree or certificate. Ask the 

school whether degree or program requirements have 

changed in the past. If so, ask how often and why. If 

you’re pursuing a profession that requires a license, 

contact your state licensing organization to find out 

what training and credentials they require to grant one. 

Ask if the school’s program meets the state’s licensing 

requirements. If it does not, you won’t be qualified to 

get a license – or a job – in that field.

Can I transfer credit I earn at this 

school to other schools?

If you may transfer in the future, find out whether 

the school you might transfer to would accept the 

credits you earned at the first school. If you attend 

a community college, ask about their articulation 

agreement: that’s a formal statement of what 

community college courses and credits you can 

transfer to a particular four-year college. Your 

ability to transfer credits depends a lot on the type of 

accreditation held by the school where you earned 

the credits. Accreditation usually is through a private 

education agency or association that evaluates the 

program and verifies that it meets certain requirements. 

Accreditation also may affect whether prospective 

employers respect your credentials. Accreditation 

is important – but only if the accrediting body is 

reputable. “National” accreditation, despite its name, 
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is actually less widely accepted than “regional” 

accreditation. Most institutions consider regional 

accreditation as the highest stamp of approval and 

may not accept credits from a school with national 

accreditation. Here’s how to find out whether a school 

has “national” (for instance, Accrediting Commission 

of Career Schools and Colleges) or “regional” (for 

instance, Northwest Commission on Colleges and 

Universities) accreditation. First, use ED’s College 

Navigator to find the name of the accrediting body that 

has accredited the school you’re interested in. Next, 

check the Council for Higher Education Accreditation 

list of Recognized Accrediting Organizations at 

chea.org/pdf/CHEA_USDE_AllAccred.pdf to 

learn whether the accrediting body is “national” 

or “regional.”

What percentage of students 

graduate?

Use ED’s College Navigator to check loan default 

rates, average debt at the school, tuition and expenses, 

and accreditation. Ask the schools you’re considering 

to give you information in writing about job placement 

and average salaries for their graduates in the program 

you want to study. They may paint a glowing picture of 

student success and try to convince you that credentials 

from their institution will lead to a high-paying career 

in your chosen field. But some schools manipulate 

the data or lie about how well their graduates fare. Do 

some research using the U.S. Department of Labor’s 
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(DOL) site, MyNextMove, at mynextmove.org, which 

can help you figure out what careers you might like 

to pursue. DOL’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, 

available at bls.gov/ooh, has information about the 

average salary workers in a particular field are earning, 

the education or training needed, and the careers 

with the most new jobs, so you can evaluate whether 

the results the school claims are realistic. College 

Navigator also can help you compare schools based 

on their graduation rates which can help you assess 

students’ successful completion of a program at that 

institution.

What percentage of recent graduates 

is late in paying back their loans?

A high default rate among graduates who borrowed 

money could be a tip-off that students are burdened 

by too much debt or having trouble finding jobs in 

their field. Get information about student borrowers’ 

default rates at College Navigator (for the colleges 

you’re considering) and ED’s StudentAid.gov (default 

rate by type of school – public, private non-profit, or 

private for-profit.)

Is there pressure to enroll?

Is a recruiter or advisor for the school rushing you 

to commit? Are they leaning on you to decide before 

you have a chance to research the program and 

confirm the details of financial aid? Recruiters, whom 
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some schools also might refer to as “counselors” 

or “academic advisors,” may be paid based on how 

many students they bring in. Before you decide on a 

program, read the materials, including the contract. 

Can you cancel within a few days of signing up and, 

if so, do the materials tell you how to cancel? If the 

school refuses to give you documents to review before 

you commit, don’t enroll. Period.

If you think a school didn’t live up to its promises, 

report it at ftc.gov/complaint.

For Servicemembers and Veterans

Ready to transition from servicemember to civilian? 

Your post-9/11 GI Bill benefits make you an appealing 

candidate for for-profit schools, but some may be 

focused on the bottom line, and not your best interests. 

If you’re a servicemember or veteran, ask these 

additional questions:

Can I get credit for my military 

training?

 The American Council on Education has a guide 

to help schools grant all possible credit for military 

training. Ask the school you’re considering if they 

follow the ACE Military Guide (acenet.edu/

news-room/Pages/Military-Guide-Online.aspx) and 

whether they will grant you credit for your military 

training. Some schools offer credit for military 

coursework, but not for occupational specialties.
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Is the school committed to helping 

veterans?

Many schools claim to be military- or veteran-friendly. 

How do they back that up? Is there access to academic 

and career support? Mental health, disability and 

medical services? What are the housing options for 

veterans? Is there help navigating the university? 

Student Veterans of America, studentveterans.org, 

has chapters on nearly 300 campuses; their Connect 

Alumni program can put you in touch with veterans 

from the school you’re considering. What’s more, 

some 3,600 institutions have agreed to follow the 

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Principles 

of Excellence program (benefits.va.gov/gibill/

principles_of_excellence.asp), which includes 

designating a veteran’s point of contact for academic 

and financial counseling, and stopping dishonest or 

aggressive recruiting at their school. Bear in mind 

that some organizations use names, seals, and logos 

that look or sound like those of respected, legitimate 

military or educational institutions. Using the words 

“veteran” or “military-approved” doesn’t necessarily 

mean the schools are benefitting veterans or 

servicemembers.

If a school hasn’t lived up to its promises, report it:

Department of Veterans Affairs

benefits.va.gov/gibill

Department of Education

compliancecomplaints@ed.gov

Department of Defense

https://afaems.langley.af.mil/pecs/DoDPECS.aspx
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For More Information

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive 

and unfair business practices in the marketplace 

and to provide information to help consumers spot, 

stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free 

information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call 

toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 

1-866-653-4261.

Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, at 

consumer.ftc.gov/media to learn more. The FTC 

enters consumer complaints into the Consumer 

Sentinel Network, a secure online database and 

investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and 

criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. 

and abroad.

Federal Trade Commission

consumer.ftc.gov

May 2015