Answering Students' Questions

Are opportunities in the career field stable or expanding?
Some careers are relatively stable. Others fluctuate with the economy and changes in technology. For information on career fields, students might want to consult the following publications produced by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Occupational Outlook Handbook is an encyclopedia of careers describing in detail a wide range of occupations. Each description includes information on the nature of the work, working conditions, training needed, job outlook, earnings, related occupations, and sources of additional information.

Occupational Outlook Quarterly contains articles on specific occupations, general trends in the labor market, and other topics. The publication is designed to give practical information about choosing and getting jobs.

Hard copies of the publications discussed above can be ordered online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov

Students also might want to check the magazine section of the school library or public library, or do an online search, for trade and professional magazines and journals that have articles about jobs and training in specific career areas.

Is the career compatible with the student's aptitude and interests?
A school can be very good but not meet a particular student's specific needs. The type of career a student wants will directly influence the type of postsecondary education he or she will need to pursue (a two-year program, four-year program, or a career/vocational program). Our student website offers a career interest inventory and a college search.

Does the school have a good reputation for educating and placing its students?
Students should check with the local Better Business Bureau, state higher education agency, or consumer-protection division of their state attorney general's office to find out whether problems have been reported at the schools they are considering. (The Better Business Bureau will have information primarily on vocational schools.)

The federal student loan default rate for a postsecondary school can indicate the success of the school's former students; a high default rate may be a sign that a school's graduates are having difficulty finding jobs that pay well. In addition, a default rate greater than 25 percent will eventually jeopardize a school's eligibility to award federal loans and grants.

A student also can ask a school representative for the names of the school's accrediting and licensing organizations, which are able to provide information about the school. Prospective students have the right to ask for a copy of the documents describing a school's accreditation and licensing. If a school is accredited, an approved private educational agency or association has evaluated it and found it meets certain minimum requirements that the agency set. A student also can ask employers who hire in the student's intended field for their opinion of the school's program.

How many of the school's students graduate and find employment in the career for which they trained?
Students should ask about a school's graduation rate. If a high number of students drop out, it could mean they weren't satisfied with the education they received. It's also a good idea for interested students to talk to recent graduates to learn about the school's courses, average class size, instructors, the quality of facilities and equipment, and the earning potential for graduates.

If a school advertises or tells prospective students that it has a successful job-placement program, it must be able to provide statistics, on request, supporting that claim. Even if a school doesn't make job-placement claims, it doesn't hurt to ask the school about its graduation rate and job-placement rate.

In addition, if a school advertises its job-placement rates, it must also advise students of any applicable state licensing requirements for the specific jobs for which students are trained. Students should determine whether the course topics for their programs relate to state requirements or other professional certification requirements.

What are the school's administrative and academic policies?
For example, what is the school's refund policy? A school must make this policy available upon request to current and prospective students. The policy should explain what happens if a student registers for classes but never attends any or drops out of school after he or she starts. If the student receives any student aid from the U.S. Department of Education (except Federal Work-Study), some or all of the money may have to be returned—by the student and/or the school—to the aid programs or to the lender for the loans. Even if students don't finish their educational programs, they must repay whatever loans they received, minus any amount the school returned to the lender.

Students should find out about a school's academic policies, such as the requirements for graduation and maintaining eligibility for financial aid. These policies are often grouped together as a "satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy." A student must maintain SAP in order to continue to be eligible for federal student aid.

What types of financial aid does the school offer?
Students should find out what types of financial aid are available at schools where they are interested in applying; they should ask for information on all federal, state, local, private, and school financial aid programs. A student also should ask which financial aid programs are available for the educational programs in which he or she is interested. Not all educational programs at a school may be eligible for all aid programs.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) uses specific legislative and regulatory criteria to determine whether a school and its educational programs are eligible for federal student aid programs.

Note: A school's eligibility to participate in ED's student aid programs is not an indication that ED has endorsed the quality of the education the school offers. ED does not approve a school's curriculum, policies or administrative practices.

Students should ask:

• What federal student aid programs does the school participate in?
• How does the school select financial aid recipients?
• What are the school's application procedures and deadlines?
• How and when does the school deliver financial aid to its students?
• What are the interest rates and other terms of any student loans?
• What are the operating hours of the school's financial aid office?

The benefits of visiting a school
Students should comparison-shop before signing an enrollment contract. If there are several schools offering a particular educational program in the local area, a student should visit at least two of the schools before making a decision. One of the advantages to visiting a school is that the student can talk to currently enrolled students about what they like and do not like about the school and the education they are receiving.

A good test of any school is how a student feels about it after a visit. Students should consider making an appointment to visit a school while classes are in session. This will give students a chance to attend classes and talk with other students in the program in which they are interested. Also, if a school provides residence facilities, students should find out whether it's possible to inspect them. Do the people at the school seem to want to help students learn and plan for their futures? A student should decide whether the school is a place he or she wants to be at least five days a week for the next six months to several years.