Choosing a college is one of the largest decisions a family makes, and often the largest sum of money spent outside a house. It is usually made in a few weeks, under pressure, with information supplied mainly by the colleges themselves.

This page gives you twelve questions to ask. They are the questions that separate a good decision from an expensive one, and any college worth your money will answer all of them without hesitation.

Before the twelve questions: the one thing to understand

There is a distinction that catches a great many families, and it is worth two minutes.

A university being recognised and a course being approved are two different things.

The University Grants Commission — the UGC — recognises universities. That makes their degrees valid.

But professional courses each have their own separate regulator, which approves that specific course, at that specific college, for a specific year:

A university can be perfectly genuine and still run a course its regulator never approved. The student completes it, receives a certificate, and discovers at a job interview that the qualification is not accepted.

This happens every year. It is entirely preventable. Questions 1 and 2 below prevent it.

The twelve questions

[Mark up as an ItemList. Provide a printable one-page version — link it prominently at the top and bottom of this section.]

1. Is the university recognised by the UGC — and can you show me?

Ask for the recognition reference. Then check it yourself on the UGC’s official list of universities, which is public and free. Also look at the UGC’s separate list of institutions operating without authority — it is short and worth reading once.

Step by step: [How to check a UGC approved university → Book 5 post 2].

2. Is this specific course approved by its regulator, for this academic year?

This is the question that matters most and the one colleges are slowest to answer.

Ask for the current approval letter for the exact course your child would join, showing the academic year and the sanctioned number of seats. Ask by email so you have it in writing.

The answers that should worry you: “renewal is in process”, “the university handles that”, “come to the office and we will explain”. A college with current approval sends the letter the same day.

3. What is the total cost per year — everything included?

Not tuition. Everything.

Ask for one written figure covering tuition, admission fee, examination fees, laboratory and practical fees, hostel, mess, uniform, books and equipment. Then ask what is not included in that figure.

Families routinely discover the real cost is significantly above the advertised tuition, in the second year, when leaving is expensive.

4. Will the fees increase during the course, and by how much?

Many colleges revise fees annually. Ask what the increase has been for each of the last three years. A college that has raised fees ten per cent a year will probably do so again, and over four years that changes your total substantially.

5. What happens to the fee if my child leaves?

Ask about the refund policy, in writing, before you pay. Ask specifically what happens if your child withdraws after one month, after one semester, after one year.

Also ask: do you keep original certificates? Some institutions retain original documents, which makes leaving difficult. Regulatory bodies have taken a dim view of this practice. You are entitled to know the policy before you commit.

6. Where did last year’s graduating batch actually go?

Not the placement percentage. Ask for five names of employers who recruited from the last batch, and the median salary — the middle figure, not the highest.

Any institution that will only give you the highest salary is telling you something. The highest figure in a batch of two hundred is one person.

7. Who teaches this course, and how many of them are full-time?

Ask how many full-time faculty the department has, their qualifications, and how long the department has existed.

A university can be excellent overall and have a weak department in your child’s subject. Ask about the department, not the institution.

8. Can I see the laboratory, workshop or clinical facility?

For any practical course — nursing, pharmacy, paramedical, vocational, engineering — ask to see where the practical work happens, and ask how old the equipment is.

If the facility is locked, unavailable or “being renovated” on the day of your visit, treat that as the answer.

9. Where do students do their practical training, and with whom?

Nursing students need clinical postings at named hospitals. B.Ed students need school practicum at named schools. Pharmacy and vocational students need industry placements.

Ask for the names. “We have tie-ups with leading institutions” is not a name.

10. What are the hostel arrangements exactly?

Room occupancy, separate accommodation arrangements, warden supervision, gate and curfew policy, mess arrangements and food options, medical facility on campus, distance to the nearest hospital, and who to contact in an emergency.

Ask for the emergency contact procedure specifically. A college that has a clear answer has thought about it.

11. Can I speak to a current student and a recent graduate?

Not one the office selects for you. Ask to be connected with a student from your own region, and find a graduate from two or three years ago independently — social media makes this possible.

Ask the graduate one question: would you do it again?

12. Can we visit before deciding?

One day on campus answers more than fifty phone calls. Walk around. Look at the library at four in the afternoon. Look at the notice boards. Talk to students who are not expecting you.

If a visit is discouraged or endlessly postponed, that is information.

[IMAGE — the twelve questions as a clean printable checklist, with space to write answers. This is the single most valuable asset in Book 9 — parents will print it, carry it, and share it in family groups. Alt: “Printable checklist of twelve questions to ask a college before admission”]

Warning signs, in order of how often they appear

Pressure to pay immediately. A seat that disappears in twenty-four hours is a sales technique, not a shortage.

Cash payment, or transfer to a personal account. Fees go to the institution’s account against a proper receipt. Always. No exceptions, whatever the reason given.

Guaranteed admission with no eligibility check. Genuine institutions have criteria and apply them.

Vague approval language. “Approved by Government of India”, “ISO certified”, “internationally affiliated” — none of these mean UGC recognition or regulator approval. Real approvals come with a body, a section and a reference number.

Guaranteed placement, in writing or otherwise. No institution can guarantee employment. Promises of “100% placement” should be read as marketing, and asked about using question 6.

Agents who receive commission. Education agents are common and not all are bad, but understand that an agent recommending a college may be paid by it. Verify independently.

Reluctance to let you visit.

A calm timeline for the admission season

A word about your child’s choice

This is outside the checklist but it matters as much as anything on it.

The strongest predictor of whether a student finishes a course well is whether they wanted to do it. A student placed in engineering or medicine because the family decided will often complete it, and frequently will not build a career in it.

Your role is to make sure the choice is informed, affordable and safe. The choice itself works better when it is theirs.

What you can usefully insist on: that they research it properly, that they talk to people doing the work, that the institution is verified, and that the finances are realistic. Those are the things a parent is genuinely better placed to judge.

If your child is going far from home

Additional things to establish: how they travel home and what it costs, who to call in an emergency, what medical facilities exist on campus and nearby, and any regional requirements.

For Arunachal Pradesh specifically, students from other states need an Inner Line Permit, and so do visiting family members. It is routine, but it needs doing in advance. [Inner Line Permit for Students → Post 35] and [Studying in Arunachal Pradesh → Post 23].