Before enrolling, make appointments to visit the colleges or career schools you're considering. Bring a list of questions to ask school representatives (click here and see below for an idea of some questions to ask). Your education is a major investment, so find out as much information as you can before you enroll.

What kind of information should I get from a school?

Ask about the school's accreditation, licensing, student loan default rate, and campus security.

• Talk to high school counselors, local employers, and your state higher education agency. You can also see if any complaints about the school have been filed with the local Better Business Bureau or the consumer protection division of the state attorney general’s office. You can search for Better Business Bureau offices at www.bbb.org.
• Find out the school’s loan default rate (the percentage of students who attended the school, took out federal student loans, and later failed to repay their loans on time). You might not be able to get aid from some of our programs at a school that has a high default rate.

• If the school advertises its job placement rates, it must also publish the most recent employment statistics, graduation statistics, and any other information necessary to back up its claims. This information must be available at or before the time you apply for admission to the school. Also, check with local employers to see whether they have hired graduates from the school.

Find out about financial aid at the school.

You have the right to receive the following information from the school:

• The location, hours, and counseling procedures for the school’s  financial aid office;
• The financial assistance available, including federal, state, local, private, and institutional financial aid programs;
  
• The procedures and deadlines for submitting applications for each available financial aid program;
  
• The school's criteria for selecting financial aid recipients;
  

• The school's process for determining your financial need and the type and amount of assistance in your financial aid package;
  
• The method and timing of aid payments to you;
  
• The school's basis for determining whether you're making satisfactory academic progress, and what happens if you're not (whether you continue to receive federal financial aid depends, in part, on whether you make satisfactory academic progress); and
  
• If you're offered a Federal Work-Study job, the nature of the job, the hours you must work, your duties, the pay, and the method and timing of payment to you.
  

Find out about the school’s refund policy.

• If you enroll but never begin classes, you should get most of your money back. If you begin attending classes but leave before completing your course work, you might be able to get part of your money back.

• If you receive federal student aid from any program mentioned in this publication (except for Federal Work-Study), and you withdraw from school, some of that money might have to be returned by you or by your school. Even if you don’t finish your course work, you’ll have to repay the loan funds you received, less any amount your school has returned to your lender.

• If many students withdraw from a school, it might indicate a problem with the school. A school is required to disclose to current and prospective students the percentage of its students who complete the school’s programs and the percentage of students who transfer out of the school.

Make sure you get the information you need and check out all your options as you prepare for education after high school—and don’t wait until the last minute to get started! Know what to expect from the schools you’re considering and submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) early in the award year to see if you qualify for federal student aid.