Guides

Questions to Ask Current Students Before You Take Admission

By the StudentReview team. Updated 2026-10-31.

A brochure tells you what a college wants you to know. Current students can tell you what it is like to live there. Twenty minutes with two or three students is one of the most useful things you can do before you accept a seat. These questions help you use that time well.

Academics

• How many classes are actually taught by permanent faculty?
• What is the attendance rule, and how strictly is it enforced?
• Are exams and results on time, or are there regular delays?
• How easy is it to change branch, pick electives or take a minor?

Hostel, food and daily life

• Is a hostel room guaranteed for every year, and how many students share a room?
• How is the mess food, and can you opt out of it?
• What are the hostel rules on timings, visitors and leaving campus?
• How reliable are the water supply, electricity and internet?

Safety and support

• Is ragging taken seriously, and what happens when someone reports it?
• Who do students go to with a complaint, and does anything change?
• Is there a counsellor or student support cell that students actually use?

Money

• Beyond tuition, what did you pay in the first year for hostel, mess, exams, uniforms, transport and events?
• Did fees go up partway through the course?
• How long did scholarships or refunds take to arrive?

Placements and internships

• How many students in your branch got a job or internship through the college last year?
• Does the placement cell help everyone, or mainly the top of the batch?
• Do students get time off for internships?

The one question to end with

Ask: "If you were choosing again, would you pick this college?" The pause before the answer often tells you as much as the answer itself.

Where to find students to ask

• The Alumni tab on the college's LinkedIn page, filtered by your branch and recent years.
• A campus visit on a working day, outside the admission office.
• The questions section on the college's page here, where current students and alumni answer applicants anonymously.
• Student reviews, which cover many of these questions already. Read several and look for patterns.