We hear all the time that getting a good job after college is a primary factor for students and their parents in deciding where to go for college. One assumption has been that this deciding factor in college choice is tied to better incomes from those better jobs. But a recent survey suggests that money might not be as big a factor than some think.

A survey Jeff Selingo and I did with parents of high school or college students asked them what they hoped college would provide for their child by rating 16 different potential factors on importance.

Thousands of people are looking at college acceptances this month and trying to decide where to go. Based upon my 25 years of experience studying higher education, here are my top 5 tips.

Choosing a college involves many factors, such as cost, location, and the academic reputation of the institution. Increasingly important to people going to college for the first time, however, is the college visit. According to the newly released 2017 CIRP Freshman Survey results, 47.3% of students who entered college in the fall of 2017 indicated that the campus visit was very important in their decision about where to go. Although not the reason given by the most students (that the college had a very good academic reputation, at 65.6%), the college visit shows an increasing importance, rising from 37.6% just 15 years ago.