Picking the wrong college program is costly.
Literally.
51% of Americans regret at least one of their higher education decisions — starting their degree program included — with choosing a major being the most common regretted decision.
That’s over half of students who completed the entire college process wishing they had done something differently.
But that doesn’t have to be you.
Regretting your college decision is avoidable. Taking the time to properly evaluate a college’s programs before committing lets students feel confident in their choices.
Here’s how…
Table of Unit
- Why Do You Need To Evaluate Programs?
- Evaluating Program Quality
- Importance of Student Support Services
- Program Evaluation Red Flags
- Questions To Ask Before Signing
Why Do You Need To Evaluate Programs?
Schools should be chosen for their programs.
But most students don’t do that. Instead, they pick a college based on name recognition, campus location, or how much they liked the campus tour.
Yikes.
Real long-term satisfaction comes from program structure, student support, and curriculum tied to career outcomes. Factors that aren’t easily discovered during a campus visit.
College decisions shouldn’t be made on a “fun” factor. Taking the time to evaluate programs before committing allows students to:
- Know what they’re getting their degree in actually leads to
- Compare different program qualities between schools
- Eliminate programs that aren’t built to help them succeed
Item three is what the real focus should be on.
Students obsess over which school to go to. But they rarely ask if the program they’re picking will give them what they need.
That’s a problem.
Evaluating Program Quality
Students should be researching outcomes, not rankings.
Rankings display how impressive of a school it is to attend. Outcomes display what students will get after they graduate. Two very different ideas.
When looking into colleges, students should research past:
- Graduate outcomes
- Job placement rates
- Average salary details
- Program accreditation
Notice how specific that is. Students should learn about how well a program does — not how prestigious the school is.
Loan defaults are high for reason — many students have no clue what they signed up for. Learn about the program you want to enroll in so you know what to expect after graduation.
Accreditation is important to look at, too. A lot of technical programs like nursing, teacher programs, or engineering require students to be licensed after education.
If they attend a program that isn’t accredited, they will not be able to become licensed.
Don’t become a stat. Check that the program you are wanting to enroll in is accredited by an authority.
Also look into who teaches the program. Look for faculty members who have real world experience along with academic experience.
Knowing your instructors have experience both in the classroom and their field will help when looking for jobs down the line.
Importance of Student Support Services
Here’s a piece of the program evaluation process most students don’t think about…
Programs with strong student support services = better outcomes.
If a college has strong student support services that students take advantage of, research shows students who feel a sense of belonging on campus are approximately 40% more likely to continue after their freshman year.
When evaluating schools and programs, look for those who prioritize student success through support.
WSC is a great school that does a good job at this. They are considered one of the top nebraska colleges and focus on keeping class sizes small. Not only will you get more personalized attention from your instructors, but you will have an advisor always there to help guide you.
What to look for in strong student support services:
- Assigned advisors. Instead of having to search for an advisor, schools with strong student support will assign you one.
- Tutoring and writing centers. Being able to walk into a center without an appointment is huge.
- Career services that start year one. Not only when your about to graduate.
- Mental health services that are on campus.
- Early alert systems. This will help your advisor catch you slipping academically.
Ask schools what their student support services are and how students can access them.
If they give you vague answers, run for the hills.
Program Evaluation Red Flags
Here are some red flags when evaluating programs.
Just because it doesn’t have one of these things below doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attend there. But if an programs ticks all these boxes, you may want to keep searching.
- High withdraw rates. If a lot of students are quitting or changing their major, something could be wrong with the program.
- Outdated curriculum. Programs that don’t update their curriculum frequently are falling behind.
- No industry ties. Programs should want their students to succeed after graduation. Look for internship opportunities, connections to industry leaders, and job placement programs.
- High student to advisor ratio. When schools have more students than they can handle, you aren’t going to get the help you need.
Remember, when evaluating programs these won’t be on the schools website. You’ll need to ask.
Questions To Ask Before Signing
Walk into your college tours and information sessions ready.
Bring a list of questions you want answers to. Don’t wait for the college to offer this information.
Ask them:
- What is the programs 4 year graduation rate?
- What percentage of graduates get a job in their field within 6 months of graduating?
- How does academic advising work? Are students assigned an advisor?
- What student support services does the school offer and how can students access them?
- Does the program have ties to industries that will help students find internships?
- When was the curriculum last updated?
If they can’t answer these questions with real data, they aren’t going to be helpful in your decision.
Program evaluation is simple if you know what to look for.
Colleges Are Investments, Don’t Pick Badly
Deciding where to go to college is big decision.
So is deciding what program you want to spend the next few years in.
But taking your time and evaluating each program before committing will let you know what you’re getting yourself into. And the stakes are real — nearly one in three college students did not return after their first year in 2024, making program fit more important than ever.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Look for program outcomes, not school rankings.
- Research what you will be getting yourself into before taking out student loans.
- Ask about student support services and how students can access them.
- Ask schools these 6 questions. If they give you vague responses, they’re trying to hide something.
Evaluate. Ask questions. Commit knowing your decision is right for you.