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.

Don’t forget, all AAA members have access to our college portal, which includes how-to videos on acing college applications, essays and interviews, as well as financial aid and funding strategies.

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, hosted by Youvisit, 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.

Fairfield University’s virtual tour starts at the University’s main entrance, hosted by a friendly and informative virtual tour guide named Nate. From there, users have the option to stop and look around more than 15 different points of interest on campus, as well as student gathering spots like the Tully dining commons and the brand-new 42 Langguth residence hall.

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 on why they #TCNJoin, 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 reality walking tour, hosted by tour guide Mohammed, gives an all-access view of this beautiful Rhode Island campus. The college’s YouTube channel also highlights internship opportunities, special events and what life is like at JWU.

Providence College
Providence, R.I.

Providence College’s virtual tour provides insight into academic and student life, as well as the chance to have conversations with faculty, staff and students. They also have a “Virtual Visit Week” series highlighting clubs and organizations, FAQ with faculty, residence halls and more.

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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 to this day, 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 a virtual tour of residence hall amenities and dorm styles, watch a 20-minute campus walking tour hosted by Howdy Crew members or see springtime’s fresh blooms in the gardens.

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 #TasteofOSU 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, giving you a peek at classes like Superheroes in Pop Culture, astrophysics, choir, scientific research labs and more. 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 current students and alumni and boosts over 30 stops around campus, each with 360-degree photography.

West Coast

Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.

A self-guided tour with access to over 40 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. Fun fact: 30 living billionaires call Stanford their alma mater!

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. They also have a series dedicated to “Ask a Husky” which covers everything from commuting, campus life, studying abroad, secret study sports and more!

University of Arizona
Tucson, Ariz.

University of Arizona hosts a number of daily online information sessions led by current students and campus experts that allow students and parents to ask questions. They also host a series called “Ask a Wildcat” every Friday on their Instagram account and have a robust YouTube channel where you can get to know the university from current students, and find out why campus is the center of it all.

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, which boosts over 1 million views.

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

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