Tips for Planning University and College Tours in 2026
By Lynne Fuller, Founder of College Flight Path
Every fall, I meet with students to establish their plan of action for their 10th and 11th grade years. This meeting includes conversations about course selection, when and what standardized test they should take, and which colleges they could start to view. Your student needs to research a college before committing time to take a tour, so utilize websites like Appily or CampusReel to learn more about a particular school.
I spend hours planning tour routes based on student lists and have come up with a few ideas of how to make your students’ tour process much more manageable and accessible, so they don’t get boxed out during the busy times when everyone else is scheduling their campus visits. Read below for tips on how to best plan and execute time on campus.
Tips on College Tours for High School Students
Vet the college list. Before embarking on any travel, your student must do their homework to narrow their list. It is not feasible to see 20 schools in a week, so think about the 7-10 that they want to cover and what is essential in that group. Spending an hour on a campus tour does not offer them the fit or feel, so committing 4+ hours to grab a coffee, meet with a friend who attends the school, take a tour, sit in on an information session, schedule an interview, and engage with a professor will make the experience much more valuable.
Plan. If scheduling tours for MLK, President’s Day, or during spring break, they will want to schedule the tour between Thanksgiving and the New Year. If they wait until January, tours book up, and they will be unable to get the spot, date, and time they prefer. Additionally, utilizing the week before heading back to school can be a perfect time to see colleges as students will be on campus, and the pressure of having to keep up with assignments will not be in full swing.
Best Time to Visit Colleges. The best time to visit colleges is when the campus feels normal. Pick days when classes are in session, clubs meet, and dining halls are busy. Weekday visits (Monday–Thursday) usually show the most real student life. Weekend tours can still help, but some services run lighter, and the vibe can feel quieter. Use a simple timeline. If you are a junior, visit in spring (March–May) or early summer (June) to cut your list down. If you are a senior, visit in late summer and early fall (August–October) to lock in your final schools before deadlines. If you plan Early Action or Early Decision, try to finish top-choice visits by October so your notes are fresh for essays and interviews.
Make a route that is time-efficient and makes financial sense. If traveling from the northeast and looking at schools from the mid-Atlantic to New England, be sure to tour the states least impacted by winter weather in January and February, and save the spring break trip for a northern route. If touring schools in the south, they tend to be located further apart, so consider flying into one city, renting a car, connecting the dots on how your student can efficiently see the schools, and then flying out of the ending city. This can get expensive, so finding the best route that is cost-effective, packing only carry-on, and researching flights on Spirit, Breeze, Avelo, Silver, Frontier, and Southwest can help trim costs.
College Visit Itinerary and Checklist. A good college visit itinerary keeps you focused, so every campus is easier to compare later. Most students do best with 6–10 total visits. More than that can blur together, and your notes get sloppy. You can visit two schools in one day only when travel time is short, and you still have energy to stay present.
Use this college tour quick checklist for every visit:
Confirm your tour and information session 48 hours before you go
Arrive 15 minutes early and find the check-in desk
Take the official tour, then do one “real life” stop (dining hall, library, student center)
Visit 2 academic spots tied to your major (department building, lab, studio, advising office)
Take 5 photos that prove what you liked (not just the welcome sign)
Give the campus a same-day score (1–10) for academics, student life, campus culture, and “can I see myself here?”
There are no tours on Sundays. Remember, colleges and universities do not offer tours on Sunday, and typically their last tour on the weekend is 1 PM on Saturday or earlier if there is a big sporting event. Plan to use days off and weekdays. Stack nearby schools to see two in one day, where your student can take the first tour and info session at one, and the last tour and info session at another to help get through the list quicker. However, if you find that your student must visit a college campus on a Sunday, utilize apps and virtual tours like the ones found on Campus Tours to help guide them around their facilities. These options are helpful if they cannot take a live tour.
Official vs Self Guided College Tours. You get a student tour guide, a set route, and usually an admissions information session. Choose this when a school is high on your list, or when you want clear answers about admissions, majors, and campus resources. Self-guided college tours work when tours are full, you are visiting on a Sunday, or you want a fast second look. Do not just wander. Walk the places students actually live and study: the dining hall, library, student center, and a residence hall area (even if you only see the outside). If you can, sit for 10 minutes and listen.
Dress appropriately. Touring can require a lot of walking, so look pulled together in a business casual outfit that can include a polo shirt, button-down, sweater, breathable walking pants, and comfortable shoes.
Talk to everyone. Don’t be afraid to speak and ask questions throughout the day. Every time I tour a campus, I engage with the students who are working at check-in desks, standing in line for coffee, and hanging in the waiting room. There, you can learn about their experience, what classes they have enjoyed, their general happiness factor, and the “feeling” that comes with being on campus. College is what you make of it, so why not get started by understanding what your student is potentially signing up for by speaking with the student body?
Be courteous. Kindness goes a long way; those who are rude or abrupt are remembered quickly. Remind your student to be polite, calm, and as generous as possible. Sometimes there are delays, sometimes students or admissions officers are running behind, and sometimes specific questions will not be answered by a 19-year-old tour guide, so remain patient and respectful, as it helps diffuse any tension or worry for all of the players who are there to help teach more about the institution.
Take notes. Keeping a log in a notes app with pictures, videos, and comments about the time on campus can make it so much easier to reflect on your student’s experience, especially when writing the “why us” essays that may not be for another year.
Questions to Ask and How to Compare Colleges After Visits. Do not waste time on facts you can find online. During the tour or information session, ask about things that affect your daily life: getting the classes you need, academic support, housing options, and what students do on weeknights. Right after you leave, do a quick college visit evaluation while the details are fresh. Write three wins, three worries, and one surprise. Then rank the school in the same four categories every time: academics, student engagement, campus culture, and cost fit.
Write thank-you notes. Thanking the tour guide, admissions speaker, interviewer, and professor that your student engaged with a campus community goes a long way. It demonstrates respect for their time and feelings about the campus and opens the door to future conversation should they have any clarifying questions.
If your student would like to check out recaps of the schools I have visited, take a look at College Flight Path’s Instagram @collegeflightpath for details about schools, programs, and pictures of what campuses look like. You never know, they may see something they like, and it too could wind up on their list. Of course, for all college needs, feel free to reach out to College Flight Path!
To learn more about planning university and college tours or any related topics, email hello@collegeflightpath.com or book a free 15-minute call.
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