.png?height=120&name=white_turquoise_edvance_logo@3x%20(1).png){kind=logo}
How do I choose my college program? It's a question we often get. Learn some tips and tricks as well as learn what schools in the Edvance Marketplace have to offer.
Your college program determines what you study and can influence your career path and future, so it’s understandable if you are unsure what program or school fits you the best.
Tips for Choosing the Right Program
Before considering what school you’d like to attend, we suggest choosing the program and/or major that’s right for you. Start by thinking about your interests and career goals.
1. What is your motivation for going back to school?
- Are you looking to advance in your current field?
- Do you want to change career fields?
- Are you just interested in learning more about a subject you’re passionate about?
If you have a specific job in mind, we encourage you to review job descriptions on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor to review the qualifications these jobs require. This will help you determine the skills, certifications, degree, and experience you need. If you know someone within the field, you can even talk to them to see what types of programs may be the best match for you.
2. What are your current experiences, interests, and strengths?
Knowing yourself is the first step in choosing the best program. You can identify subjects that you excel at and/or are interested in so that you’re motivated to learn the material. These areas will help guide some areas of study that you should gravitate towards.
3. What are salary expectations and/or job market trends in the field?
Make sure your expectations align with trends in salary and the job market. You can review Bureau of Labor Statistics to get a general understanding of median salaries and job stability.
Edvance Tip: We work with a network of schools to provide a growing number of in-demand programs that equip students with skills and credentials that employers value. You can review our programs by academic field on our Marketplace page once you have a better understanding of what career field you’re interested in exploring.
Choose the Right University or College
Once you know the academic field you’re interested in, you can narrow down your school choices. Your program of choice might not be available at the school of your choice, so we recommend you choose your program before setting your sights on a particular school.
When comparing schools, we recommend that you look at:
- Accreditation: There are two primary types of accreditation for institutions of higher education, regional accreditation and national accreditation. While it may not sound like it, regional accreditation is the highest level of accreditation a college or university can receive and means credits earned from regionally accredited schools can easily transfer to other institutions maximizing a student's opportunity to earn credit for previous courses. You can learn more about regional accreditation here.
Edvance Tip: Whenever possible, choose a university or college that is regionally accredited - all the schools in the Edvance Education Marketplace are all regionally accredited.
- Program Curriculum and Additional Certifications:
Edvance Tip: Our Marketplace page makes it easy to review programs by your specific academic interest. From there, you can review program details and outcomes.
- Course Format: Review the delivery of the curriculum based on your preferences. Do you want asynchronous online classes (i.e. you can access them at any time)? Do you prefer online classes with a set schedule or in-person classes? You can speak to the admission staff to get a better idea of what to expect.
Edvance Tip: All schools in the Edvance Education Marketplace offer online and asynchronous classes to give you schedule flexibility.
- Admission Requirements: Each college or university will have a different set of admission requirements. Some programs even have specific admission requirements. Be sure to review these requirements to see if these requirements are something you can fulfill.
Edvance Tip: All of the schools in the Edvance Education Marketplace have either no or waived admission fees so that you can apply and connect to their admissions team at no cost to you. Plus,our schools do not require any standardized test or entrance exam for admissions!
- Transfer Credit Policies: If you have any previous college credits or work experience, you’ll want to look for a transfer-friendly school to get credit for your previous work or experience. Getting credit for college or work experience will help you save time and money on your degree. Some schools will even do an unofficial transcript evaluation to help you see how many transfer credits can be applied to your degree before you even register.
Edvance Tip: Schools within our marketplace are regionally accredited and transfer-friendly. Apply and check with the school’s admissions team to learn more.
- Tuition Costs and Fees: Affordability is an important element to choosing a school. Tuition is often your biggest expense when earning a degree, but you’ll also want to look into material/book fees as well as any technology fees.
Edvance Tip: Through the Union College Benefit, you’ll save on your tuition cost, but our schools also work hard to keep materials and other fees affordable. We encourage you to look into other financial aid sources and talk to the school’s financial aid team to learn more.
- Student Services and Experience: It’s important that you feel supported throughout your academic journey and beyond. Be sure to review different services for students and alumni, including tutoring, writing centers, library access for online students, and career services.
Edvance Tip: All of the schools within the Edvance Marketplace have student services. Be sure to review the services they offer in our knowledge base or talk to your admissions counselor once you apply.