Virtual College Tours to Put You Ahead of the Class

For high school students or any college-bound individual in the process of researching colleges and universities, admissions professionals strongly recommend scheduling campus visits.

If you can’t make it in person, virtual college tours offer a glimpse into student life and campus facilities. One perk is that you can visit multiple campuses across the country all in one day.

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Northeast

Hofstra University

Hempstead, N.Y.

What’s the best way to experience Hofstra? This self-guided virtual college tour explores inside Hofstra’s labs, residence halls and production studios, giving viewers access to campus videos, 360-degree photo tours and more. The university is also active on TikTok and their channel is full of funny (and relatable) videos for current and prospective students.

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

Georgetown University’s virtual reality walking tour, gives anyone the chance to visit the campus at their own pace, before seeing it in person. This narrated tour has 20 stops around campus, each with 360-degree photography.

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

In addition to exploring the halls, athletic center and other parts of campus, a bonus of the Boston College virtual college tour is that you can watch a recorded or live panel from faculty and students. The college also has a robust YouTube channel.

Fairfield University

Fairfield, Conn.

While nothing compares to the real thing, virtual college tours are a great place to start. Fairfield University’s virtual tour gives a simple overview of the campus and couldn’t be easier to use, allowing visitors to look around 20 different points of interest in just a few clicks.

College of New Jersey

Ewing, N.J.

The College of New Jersey’s Youtube channel gives prospective students first-hand accounts from current students and alumni, plus behind-the-scene looks of their athletics program and what to expect during welcome week and homecoming.

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, N.J.

NJIT offers 45 acres of innovation and excitement. Their self-guided campus tour takes you across the entire campus, giving you an inside look into Greek Way, the Microelectronics Center and the Makerspace, a rapid prototyping and collaboration facility where engineers, architects, designers and scientists can create and test ideas, put theory into practice and turn ideas into reality.

Johnson and Wales University

Providence, R.I.

The Johnson and Wales virtual tour gives an all-access view of its beautiful Rhode Island campus. The college’s YouTube channel also highlights internship opportunities, special events and what life is like at JWU.

South

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, Va.

This virtual college tour gives you a narrated look into every aspect of the university. The tour is a student-led effort; undergraduate members of the University Guide Service wrote the script, coordinated the filming and continue to maintain and update the tour, giving you full-access to the campus.

University of North Carolina System

16 universities throughout North Carolina

Take a 360-degree tour of each university on your desktop, laptop, phone or VR headset. The tour covers all of the University of North Carolina’s campuses and state universities.

Texas A&M

College Station, Texas

Texas A&M encourages prospective students to set up a 30-minute video chat or call with current “Aggies.” You can also take virtual tours of the campus, including a 20-minute walking tour hosted by the school’s official tour guides, the Howdy Crew.

Midwest

Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio

This self-guided, virtual tour will take you to popular spots across the Columbus campus. Along the way, you’ll learn about Ohio State’s unique history, traditions and what it means to be a Buckeye. The university’s Instagram account also gives prospective students a taste of OSU with behind-the-scenes videos and interviews with current students.

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Mich.

UM students give an insider look of the campus from their point of view. Their YouTube channel also hosts unique series like Michigan students’ vlogs and what summers are like for students who decide to stick around.

University of Chicago

Chicago, Ill.

This virtual tour takes you across the 217-acre University of Chicago campus, which is also a certified botanical garden. The narration is led by students and alumni and boosts over 30 stops around campus, each with 360-degree photography.

West Coast

Stanford University

Stanford, Calif.

Stanford’s online tours include a student-led tour and a virtual campus walk with access to over 30 locations throughout the university including housing, dining, social activities, the quad and more. Stanford also has a podcast highlighting buildings that have benefited from the Stanford Challenge, aimed at seeking solutions to global problems and educating the next generation of leaders.

University of Washington

Seattle, Wash.

You can get an inside look at UW through a series of campus tours hosted on the university’s YouTube channel. It covers everything from commuting, campus life, studying abroad, secret study sports and more.

University of Arizona

Tucson, Ariz.

You can preview the University of Arizona with a six-minute student-led tour video. For more great insight into the life of a Wildcat, check out their Instagram account and YouTube channel.

University of Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Cali.

UCLA is one of the most applied-to schools in the nation. Their narrated tour has over 20 stops around campus each with 360-degree photography. You can see and hear students, faculty and staff explain what makes UCLA an amazing place via their YouTube channel.

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Visit AAA’s College Portal for a customized step-by-step program that will walk you through the college-planning timeline. Inside the portal, you will have access to proven admissions strategies, financial aid options and support needed to build a bright future for yourself or your college-bound kids.

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So, what do you think of these virtual college tours? Tell us in the comments.

This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.