The Best Online Resources To Choose A College That's Right For You

May 17, 2023 byAlyssa Austin

7 min to read

High school student preparing for college.

A lot goes into choosing a college that’s right for you. There’s finding a career path that interests you, looking into schools that are known for those industries, taking entrance exams, filling out applications, discovering different scholarships and financial aid options...it can take up a lot of your time very quickly.

Fortunately, there are many independent, online resources and college websites geared toward providing this information to potential students. Yet, while they’re helpful, it’s easy to get lost in this sea of options and spend a lot of time looking at one that might not provide the info you need.

To help, Tisha Green Rinker, Connections Academy’s national manager of school counseling, and her team have put together a list that can guide you through the process of how to choose a college that is right for you.

What to Consider When Choosing a College

There are lots of factors that go into determining whether a college is the right fit for you. Here are some of the considerations you should take into account when you start the process of making your college list:

Location – Is it near my home? Far away? Can I commute there?
Degrees Offered – Does this college offer the major or degree that I am interested in? Or, if I’m unsure of my major, does it offer enough options for me to make a viable decision?
Size of School – Does the size of the school and student body population work for me? Do I see myself attending a large or smaller school? Does this matter to me?
Campus Aesthetic – How important is the campus look and feel to my college experience?
Extracurricular Activities – Does this college offer extracurricular activities (sports, clubs, Greek life, etc.) that I might be interested in pursuing?
Tuition – Is this college affordable for me?
Financial Aid – Does this college offer financial aid?
Realistic Acceptance – Am I likely to be accepted into this school, or does this college fall into my reach or safety categories?
Internships – Are there opportunities for internships as part of this college experience? How built out is the Career Services department?

Take some time to answer these questions for yourself and determine what your ideal college experience looks like. Then you’re ready to start your search.

An online student sitting on steps outside while researching college websites for high school students on a laptop.

How to Choose a College: 9 Different Ways to Narrow Down Your Search

According to college application support resource Admission Sight, there are nearly 4,000 colleges in the United States alone. So how do you decide which colleges are right for you?

1. Choosing College by Major

If you have already selected a major that you know you want to study in college, MyMajors.com features an online college major quiz to help students pick a major based on their interests.

2. How to Choose a College for Liberal Arts

Some people want to find high-quality, higher education at a liberal arts school. The benefits of a liberal arts education are quite substantial.

One of the best college websites for high school students who are interested in studying the liberal arts is Colleges That Change Lives, Inc. (CTCL)—a non-profit organization dedicated to the subject of higher education access and college choice. They provide extensive information about liberal arts schools around the country.

3. How to Choose a College for STEM

For students who know they are interested in pursuing a technical or STEM degree, it makes sense to seek out schools that are renowned for their programs in these fields. Researching the best colleges for STEM majors is a great place to start.

4. How to Choose a College for Business

In a similar way, if students know they want to pursue a degree in the business field, a great option is researching “What are the top business undergraduate programs in the country?” There are numerous lists that can help you find this information.

5. How to Find College Rankings

Every year, U.S. News and World Report provides an annual ranking of colleges across the nation. Seeking out this list can be a way for you to familiarize yourself with “top colleges” and find ones that may appeal to you.

6. How to Take Virtual College Campus Tours

If you’re going to live on campus, you’ll want to know every aspect of it before it possibly becomes your home. Especially if the campus experience is an important part of your desired college experience, it’s a good idea to schedule an in-person campus tour or enjoy a virtual college campus tour from your home.

7. How to Find Online College Fairs

College fairs are great events to gather information from many different schools in a single day. Attending a college fair can introduce you to new school options and connect you with an admissions professional who can provide recommendations based on your wants and needs.

Many colleges offer free virtual college fairs that connect students with hundreds of colleges and universities from around the world. Students can see live streaming video presentations from admissions representatives, visit virtual booths to ask questions, and get more information.

8. How to Hear from Current Students

The best advice for any decision can come from the people who’ve already been there and done it. In this case, it would be current and former college students.

Two platforms allow current college students to post information that you don’t hear about during the applications and tours:

Niche.com is an online college guidebook written by students that allows you to get an insider’s look at the colleges you are considering.
Unigo.com is similar and also lists some scholarships you can apply for.

9. How to Find Financial Aid, Student Loans, or Scholarships

School can be expensive, and you might find yourself with the college of your dreams, but with a tuition bill that leaves you wondering where you’ll find the money to pay it. So, it’s important to include “Do they offer financial aid?” as a question that you must ask yourself in the process of choosing a college.

There are multiple resources that can help you narrow down your list of schools by confirming that they offer financial aid:

Most colleges require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to provide grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study opportunities.
College.gov, a U.S. federal government site, gives families government assistance information, and helps them find available financial resources, like scholarships, grants and loans.
American Education Services (AES) is one of the nation’s leading providers of student financial aid services and can help you understand the process before, during, and after college.
AES also offers great resources to help think about, choose, and pay for college at EducationPlanner.org.
FastWeb.com offers thousands of scholarship opportunities, arranged by category, such as by college or major, for high school juniors or high school seniors, and more.
Scholly is a subscription service that shows you different scholarships from around the country.

A mother and daughter discuss online college resources.

How to Create a List of Preferred Schools

If you reach a point where you like multiple schools but aren’t sure which one to pick as your final choice, then it’s time to weigh some pros and cons.

College Board’s College Search MatchMaker tool allows you to build a list of your favorite schools and compare them across several criteria. Plus, when you make an account, you can save your search results and reference them as you get deeper into the process.

How to Get Started Applying to Colleges

Applying to multiple colleges can be tedious. CommonApplication.org can be a resourceful tool that streamlines the entire college application process by allowing students to use one application for multiple colleges. The tool is used by more than 400 colleges nationwide, so check to make sure that the schools you want to apply to are listed.