Written by Kathy LePage, PhD, Certified School Psychologist & Educational Consultant — Helping families make thoughtful educational decisions with clarity and calm.

20 Questions to Ask on a College Visit: Parent and Student Lists

Quick answer: The most important college visit questions cover academics, campus life, and — most often skipped — cost. Ask directly: "What percentage of students receive merit aid, and what GPA or test score is typically required?" Most admissions counselors will answer this on the spot.

This is the third post in FutureU’s College Visit Series. In the last post, we looked at the mistakes that make college visits less useful. One of the biggest is showing up without a plan. This post gives you the question list that turns a campus visit into real decision-making information.

Also in this series: 

• When Should You Start Visiting Colleges 
• 3 College Visit Mistakes Families Make and How to Avoid Them

You get one shot at asking the people who actually work and live there. A tour guide who eats in the dining hall. An admissions counselor who reads applications for a living. A professor who knows exactly how big those "small" intro classes really get.

Most families spend that moment asking questions Google could already answer — acceptance rate, size, majors offered. That's not a failure of curiosity. It's just that nobody hands you the list of questions that actually matter until it's already over and you're back in the car wishing you'd asked.

A good college visit is not about asking more questions. It’s about asking better ones. The right questions help families understand fit, cost, support, and day-to-day life in a way a brochure never can.

You don't need to ask every question on this list. Pick 3–5 before each visit: one about cost, one about academic support, one about student life, and one that matters personally to your student. Better questions are more useful than more questions.

Parent questions should focus on the things that affect long-term fit: cost, support, safety, graduation timeline, and flexibility if plans change.

10 Questions for Parents to Ask

The question most families skip:

1. What percentage of students receive merit scholarships — and what GPA or test score is typically required to qualify? (Ask admissions or financial aid this one directly.)  
2. What does the average financial aid package actually cover, beyond tuition?
3. What's the four-year graduation rate — not the six-year rate?
4. How many students change their major, and how easy is that process?
5. What kind of academic support exists for a student who's struggling?
6. What does campus safety and mental health support actually look like — wait times for counseling, resources available?
7. How many students study abroad, and does financial aid travel with them?
8. What's the retention rate from first to second year, and why do students who leave usually leave?
9. What internship or career support exists starting freshman year, not just senior year?
10. If my student needed to switch majors from X to Y, what would that actually look like?

Student questions should focus on daily life: what it actually feels like to live, learn, eat, study, and make friends there.

10 Questions for Students to Ask

1. What do students actually do on a weekend when there's nothing "planned"?
2. What's one thing you wish you'd known before you enrolled here?
3. How accessible are professors outside of class — realistically?
4. What does the food actually taste like, and how often do you eat the same three things?
5. How easy is it to make friends outside your dorm or your major?
6. What's something about this school that surprised you?
7. If you could change one thing about your experience here, what would it be?
8. What's the vibe on a random Tuesday, not a tour day?
9. How do people get around — is a car necessary?
10. What's one thing you wish were better here?

These questions help students notice whether they can picture themselves living there, not just whether the school looks good on paper.

The student questions matter as much as the parent ones — sometimes more. A real answer from a current student cuts through the tour-guide script faster than anything in an info session.

Want the parent and student questions in one place?

If you’re just starting college visits, download the free Parent + Student College Visit Guides. They give parents and students a simple way to prepare before a visit, notice what matters during the visit, and talk through impressions afterward.

After the Visit: Ask Which Ones Actually Got Answered

Once you're back in the car, ask your student: which of these actually got a real answer — and which answer surprised you? That five-minute conversation is just as useful as the whole tour.

Instead of asking "What makes your school special?" (a question every tour guide has a rehearsed answer for) → Try "What percentage of first-years who start here actually graduate in four?" (a number they may have to look up, which tells you something too).

Don't Rely on Memory to Compare Answers Later

Here’s the problem with even a great list of questions: after your third or fourth campus, the answers start blending together. Which school said most students receive merit aid? Which one had stronger academic support? Which one felt good in the moment but raised concerns afterward?

The goal is not to collect more notes. The goal is to compare schools clearly when it’s time to make decisions. That’s where a simple tracking system helps.

The visit is only half the work. The real value comes later, when your family can compare what you learned without relying on memory, vibes, or scattered phone notes.

If you’re visiting a few schools and mainly need a way to compare them:
College Visit Kit Essentials gives you a side-by-side tracker so the schools don’t blur together. Best for families visiting a few schools who need a simple way to compare options.

If you want a more complete planning system:
College Visit Kit Pro includes the visit worksheet, school comparison tracker, financial aid comparison, year-by-year cost planning, and loan reality check. Best for families comparing several schools or trying to understand cost, aid, and long-term affordability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important question to ask on a college visit? The most important question is about merit aid: "What percentage of students receive merit scholarships, and what does it typically take to qualify?" This is the question most families skip, and it's the one most likely to change your family's financial picture.

Should students or parents ask questions on a college tour? Both — and separately. Parents tend to ask about cost, safety, and academics. Students get more honest answers from other students about day-to-day life, which is why it's worth having your student ask their own list of questions, one-on-one, when possible.

What should you ask a current student during a campus visit? Ask what a normal Tuesday looks like, not what a tour day looks like — and ask what they wish they'd known before enrolling. Current students tend to be more candid than tour guides on an official route.

The goal is not to turn every visit into a high-pressure evaluation. The goal is to help your family notice what matters, ask better questions, and make decisions with more clarity. 

When college visits raise bigger questions

Sometimes a campus visit brings up more than one decision. It can raise questions about affordability, course selection, testing, applications, independence, support needs, and whether a college is truly the right fit.

That’s where FutureU Academy fits. It’s for families who want a calmer, more guided path through the broader college planning process and provides support beyond college visits. 

The free guide helps you ask better questions. The paid Kit helps you compare the answers. FutureU Academy helps you navigate the bigger decisions those answers raise.

Sometimes the best college visit does not give you an answer. It gives you better questions.

College Visit Series

• When Should You Start Visiting Colleges? A Grade-by-Grade Guide
• 3 College Visit Mistakes Families Make and How to Avoid Them
• 20 Questions to Ask on a College Visit: Parent and Student Lists (You're here now)
• How to Compare Colleges After Campus Visits Without Losing Your Mind (Coming Soon)

Kathy LePage, PhD, is a Certified School Psychologist and educational consultant who helps families navigate big educational decisions with more clarity, confidence, and less stress. She supports families with college planning, educational and therapeutic placement, and support options for children, adolescents, and young adults — including building the real-world skills needed to live as independently as possible.