Visiting Boston Area Colleges

Even with an abundance of online college information, nothing beats a personal visit.  During a campus visit you can personally experience the details that make a college special and gauge if it might be a good fit for you.  It can also be very helpful when trying to decide between different colleges.  Even better,  college visits can actually increase your chances of being accepted.  For example, Tufts University prefers students who visit over students who just drop an application without ever engaging with the school.

But before you visit make sure you do a thorough college research online and build a list of potential colleges you are considering.  From that list you can then come up with a visiting plan.

 


Best Times to Visit Boston Area Colleges

Visiting during Summer vacation before your Senior year is popular because it does not interfere with school and can be combined with summer vacation travel.  Since many colleges start in mid August you can visit during that time when  you can see to see the school in action.  Visiting earlier in the summer can work too but of course there will be fewer or no students present.

Fall is a great time to visit Boston colleges. Not just is the weather amazing but the Fall colors make each college shine. You will also find that the energy at campus is at its best.  

Many college advisors recommend visiting in Spring during your Junior year.  This is a good strategy if you plan to apply for Early Decision in Fall.  Of course it requires your college research to be done early.


Best Days to Visit Boston Area Colleges

Each College has their own time schedule for visiting and some are open seven days a week others only a few days a week.  Generally, weekends are not a good time to visit as colleges operate on a weekend schedule.  Many Boston colleges offer Monday through Friday for visits but sometimes Friday is not the best day to visit as students get ready for the weekend.   Make sure you don’t visit during Holidays or special exam days.  Checking with Colleges is best before you plan a visit. 


Other Visiting Considerations

Covid has changed the visiting procedures at Boston colleges  Happily,  most Boston Area colleges now allow in-person visits but many offer virtual tours or other alternatives.  Most colleges have restrictions such as mask-wearing, social distancing and many do not allow you to enter buildings    

 

The following are typical visiting options offered by Boston colleges. 

On-Campus Visits   

You can visit the school 

Personal Tour

You can physically visit the college but you need to explore by yourself.  Some colleges offer mobile guides and/or maps. 

Virtual Visits   

Visiting via Zoom in real-time where you can interact with students guides directly

Virtual Tours

A student driven online tour of the campus (3D) or simply videos describing the campus.

Information Sessions

Can be on-campus or virtual

Open Houses

Most are in Fall and a few are virtual


Visiting Options for Boston Area Colleges

The list below shows visiting options available from Boston Area colleges.  Because of Covid these can change without notice, so it wise to check with Colleges before you plan a visit.

 

 

SchoolCollege ToursOpen HouseInformation Sessions
Boston University On-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Harvard University Virtual, Self GuidedNoVirtual
Northeastern UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualVirtualOn-Campus
TuftsOn-Campus, VirtualVirtualOn-Campus
Bunker Hill Self GuidedNoNo
MITOn-Campus, VirtualNOOn-Campus, Virtual
Bridgewater State UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus
Salem State UniversityOn-Campus, Self-Guided, VirtualYesVirtual
Suffolk UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
MCPHS University On-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Berklee College of MusicOn-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Simmons UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Brandeis UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
North Shore Community College On-Campus, VirtualYesON Campus
Framingham State University On-Campus, VirtualNoOn-Campus
Bentley UnivesityOn-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Northern Essex Community CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus
Lesley UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Endicott UniversityOn-Campus, VirtualYesVirtual
Merrimack CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Emerson CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyOn-Campus, VirtualYesVirtual
Massachusetts Bay Community CollegeNoYesNo
Quincy CollegeNoYesNo
Babson CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus
Hult International Business SchoolNoYesVirtual
Regis CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualNoNo
Curry CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus
Wellesley College On-Campus, VirtualNoOn-Campus, Virtual
Cambridge CollegeVirtualNoVirtual
Emmanuel CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesVirtual
Massachusetts Colleg of Art and DesignOn-Campus, VirtualNoVirtual
Lasell University On-Campus, VirtualYesVirtual
Roxbury Community CollegeVirtualNoNo
Gordon CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Amherst CollegeVirtualNoVirtual
Fisher CollegeVirtualNoVirtual
Urban College of BostonNoNoVirtual
Eastern Nazarene CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesVirtuazl
Laboure CollegeNoNoNo
The New England Conservatory of MusicOn-Campus, VirtualNoYes
Bay State CollegeVirtualNoVirtual
Boston Architectural CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualOn-Campus, VirtualVirtual
Benjamin Franklin Institute of TechnologyVirtualVirtualNo
Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringOn-Campus, VirtualVirtualOn-Campus, Virtual
Northpoint Bible CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Massachusetts School of LawOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Longy School of Music of Bard CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualYesOn-Campus, Virtual
Hebrew CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualNoOn-Campus, Virtual
Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of TheologyOn-CampusNoOn-Campus
Saint John's SeminaryOn-CampusYesNo
Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis IncOn-CampusNoNo
Boston Baptist CollegeOn-CampusYesOn-Campus
New England School of LawVirtualNoVirtual
William James CollegeOn-CampusYesOn-Campus
Wheelock CollegeOn-Campus, VirtualNoOn-Campus
Montserrat College of ArtOn-Campus, Virtual NoOn-Campus

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