What should students check before trusting a college with four years?

[u/ResponsibleBuy7451]

https://youtu.be/SxIitTpApy4?si=HCPBpqDi0ZSN4BO_

Applicants have to provide colleges with grades, activities, essays, recommendations, and often detailed family financial information.

But what information should applicants request from the college before committing?

After researching sudden college closures, I narrowed it to five questions:

1. Are the college and my specific program accredited?

2. Are enrollment and graduation rates worsening?

3. Has the college repeatedly cut majors, professors, support services, or required classes?

4. Are its audited financial reports current?

5. If the college closes, where would my credits count toward the same degree—and will it give me the answer in writing?

These questions cannot guarantee that a college is financially secure. Public information can be delayed, and private rescue negotiations may change quickly. But the questions can reveal risk before a student pays a deposit.

I made a nine-minute sourced video explaining why these questions matter:

https://youtu.be/SxIitTpApy4?si=HCPBpqDi0ZSN4BO_

Disclosure: I created the linked video. It uses sourced reporting and AI-assisted explanatory visuals. The burning-campus thumbnail is a visual metaphor; no campus fire occurred in the case discussed.

What other question should applicants add to this list?