College Fly-In Programs and Free Visit Opportunities
Visiting campus is one of the most important steps for students to decide what type of college or specific institution is right for them. Because of this, most colleges offer campus tours, information sessions, or open house events to showcase academic and social life. Whether these events are in-person or online, they should help students visualize themselves thriving on campus.
What is a Fly-In Program?
Many institutions will host events focused on culture, support programs, and targeted academic or extracurricular interests for prospective students to explore those aspects of campus life at a particular university. These weekend or multi-day programs, often known as ‘fly-in programs,’ allow students to experience campus more intimately, so they can get to know the students and faculty who bring the college to life. For prospective students, fly-in visit programs typically occur in the spring of junior year or fall of senior year before students have submitted their college applications. There are also fly-in and visit programs created to help admitted students decide where to enroll in the spring of senior year.
What are the Benefits of Fly-In Programs?
Attending a fly-in program as a prospective student can provide many benefits, including:
- No financial burden: Since the host institution will typically cover transportation and accommodation costs, you and your family won’t have to worry about paying for anything related to the program.
- Mingle with current students and staff: Visiting your potential campus allows you to meet people who can give you insights into your prospective college or university. It’s also a great networking opportunity, too.
- Experience campus in real life: Because fly-ins are overnight, they allow you to do things like attend live college classes, eat at the dining halls, stay in a dorm (unless you are provided a hotel or other off-site accommodations), and participate in various student events. These all give you real-life campus experiences to refer back to when deciding which schools to apply to.
Apply to a Fly-In Program or Free Overnight Visit Opportunity?
Visiting campuses is one of the most important steps in deciding which college is right for you. However, traveling to campuses for multiple visit programs can be extremely expensive, especially for students looking at colleges far from home. That's why we have created a sortable list of fly-in programs and funded overnight visit opportunities for prospective students and their advocates (see below). Our list focuses primarily on fly-in programs that are fully funded and are hosted overnight on a college campus.
How to Use College Greenlight's Fly-In List
You can view the full list in the original window or click ‘view larger version’ in the bottom right corner of the table for an expanded view. The list can be filtered, sorted, or grouped based on characteristics such as:
- Host institution
- State
- In-person or hybrid format
- Duration of program
- Month when program occurs
- Month when the application opens
- Month when the application closes
Event information will be updated throughout the year, so check back in the late spring through mid-fall for updates. Please email College Greenlight if you have any questions about this list.
