College is an important part of a student’s journey. Most students know what colleges they might want to attend because it was their parents’ alma mater or because a friend or cousin of theirs goes to that specific college. However, most students don’t get to dive deep into researching their college options until they have to start applying for colleges during their senior year of high school. Their research might seem rushed. But it shouldn’t be that way. Students can start researching colleges ahead of time during their junior year of high school. With this college research project, students can go deeper into researching their college options!

In this college project, students research the benefits of going to college, methods of paying for college, tuition/housing costs, majors and occupations. It is a good way to get students thinking and preparing for their post high school graduation plans. 

By the end of this project, students will be able to present their findings to underclassmen.

I’ll walk you through this college project or you can click here if you’d like to purchase it! 

The benefits of going to college

Before students research specific colleges, students look into the benefits of going to college. For instance, students research the financial and social benefits of going to college. To guide their research, I give students a graphic organizer with the following questions:

• What is the unemployment rate for people with degrees?
• What is the unemployment rate for people without degrees?
• What is the average salary for someone without a degree?
• What is the average salary for someone with a degree?

Next, students research the social benefits of going to college. Like the financial benefit research portion, I give students questions to help guide their research. Below are the list of question I give students for social benefits:

The purpose of this part of the project is for students to uncover what they can get out of college. 

Paying for college

The next topic that students research for this project is different payment methods. Most of the time, students don’t actually know how they’re going to pay for college. Unfortunately, some students don’t even think that college is an option because they don’t know there are different payment options.

In this college research project, students research scholarships, grants, work study, FAFSA, and private student loans. It is important for students to research these methods so that they know they have options. 

College Research

After researching the benefits of college and different payment options, students finally get to research specific colleges of their choice. With this project, students research both community colleges and 4 year colleges. 

Oftentimes community colleges get overlooked. This is a great opportunity for students to research the difference between a community college and 4 year university. By doing this research, students will be able to figure out which college is best for them and will fit their needs. 

For community colleges, students research the location, tuition, housing, courses offered and the transfer rate. 

Similarly, for 4 year universities, students research location, tuition, housing, and majors. 

Jobs and Occupations

Finally, students look at jobs that they are interested in. In this project, students are given a graphic organizer like the one below. After researching the benefits of college and different payment options, students finally get to research specific colleges of their choice. Using the graphic organizer, students research the average salary of the job, degree needed, and the types of internships that will help them get the job.

By researching jobs they like may make their choosing colleges easier since they’ll be able to see which colleges offer the courses that lead to the job of their choice.

By the end of the project, students’ put their findings into a presentation that they showcase to underclassmen. 

This college research project is a great way to get students thinking about their post high school graduation plans.

If you’re interested, you can purchase the complete project here. The complete project includes suggested teaching guide and graphic organizers.