35 Questions for Students Considering Westwood College

For students who are still working on making their college decisions – Congratulations on your interest in continuing your education.  Selecting a school to attend is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.  Long after graduation, your decision can impact your career opportunities and financial obligations.

When deciding which school is right for you, it’s essential that you get all the facts.  To help you get started, we’ve prepared some questions you should know the answers to when choosing a school.

Be sure to get clear answers to these important questions.  If you don’t receive a clear answer to any of these questions from the school representatives, ask them again.  And don’t be shy; it’s your right to know this information before deciding on a school.  Finally, ask the school representatives to put their answers in writing and sign them.   It’s your future, so get the facts!

We know that Westwood College has an Open House coming up for potential students, so we’ve tailored these questions to Westwood, but ANY student looking at ANY for-profit college or trade school should ask these questions!   Print them out and take them with you to the Open House, or give a copy to a friend who you know might be looking at attending.

35 Questions You Should Ask Before Picking a College

1. What type of accreditation does the school have?  Is it nationally or regionally accredited?  What does each of these types of accreditation really mean?
2. What organization accredited the school? (Call the organization and confirm)
3. Has the school ever applied for and been denied regional accreditation?
4. Does accreditation have any impact on what I can do with my degree later, including where I can transfer my credits or what jobs I can get?
5. Do any schools accept the transfer of this school’s credits?  If so, which schools?  Call the schools provided to confirm.
6. Will this school allow me to transfer credits from my previous school?  If so, which credits?
7. Call some traditional schools (public universities or community colleges) in your area and ask whether it accepts credits from Westwood College.
8. How long have you offered the ________ program?
9. How long does it take to complete the ________ program?
10. Will the classes that I need to complete the ________ program be offered every session?
11. Will you be adding any classes to the __________ program that might delay my graduation?
12. What is the total graduation rate from Westwood College?  What is the graduation rate for the _________ program?
13. How much does the ________ program cost? Is that the total cost or are there other fees?
14. How much do books cost for the ________ program?  Do I have to buy the books from Westwood or can I look for them somewhere else that might cost less?
15. Does the school increase tuition each term? When was tuition last raised and by how much?  In the past five years, how many times have you raised tuition?
16. What percentage of Westwood graduates from the ________ program have jobs in their field of study within 6 months of graduation?  Ask to see the statistics to confirm this.
17. What types of jobs are considered “working in their field” for graduates of the ________ program?
18. Do I need a degree to get a job in the _________ field?
19. What field experience do the instructors teaching in the ________ program have?
20. From what schools did the instructors in the ________ program get their degrees?
21. What is the student-teacher ratio in Westwood’s classes?
22. Does the school guarantee that every student interested in an internship will get one?
23. Will federal financial aid cover all of my tuition and books?
24. Does the school exhaust all federal financial aid resources before requiring me to take out private loans?
25. Are private loans available from any lenders other than Sallie Mae? If so, which lenders?
26. Will you require that I apply for a Sallie Mae loan before the school will offer me its internal loan?
27. Does this school fund private student loans? If so, what’s the interest rate?
28. What am I expected to pay towards my loans each month while I am in school?  Is that for all my loans, just federal, just private, or just the Westwood loan?
29. How soon after graduation do I have to start paying back my loans?
30. Can I defer my loans if I don’t have a job after graduation?  Is that the same for federal loans, private loans, and the Westwood loans?
31. Does the school help me find a job? If so, before or after graduation?
32. How exactly does the school help me find a job?  Ask to see a copy of at least five recent job placement e-mails sent to Westwood graduates in the ________ program.
33. Does Westwood have any arrangements with companies in the ________ field to employ Westwood graduates?  If so, call those companies to confirm.
34. What career resources are available after I graduate?
35. Contact the Better Business Bureau and/or Attorney General in your State and in the State of Colorado (where Westwood is based) and ask whether complaints have been filed against Westwood College.