Can my school see my digital footprint?

Schools typically do not conduct social media audits of their students; however, it's important to remember that online posts are not private and can reflect on your character. Future classmates and university offices might hold students accountable for their online activities.

Can colleges reject you for digital footprint?

Colleges can consider online infractions such as inappropriate posts or violations of school policies when reviewing applications. Disclosure of such infractions and demonstrated maturity and accountability can significantly influence admission decisions.

Do colleges look at your internet history?

Colleges typically do not directly examine a student's internet history. However, publicly accessible digital footprints, such as social media accounts, can be reviewed indirectly by peers or through the consequences of one's online actions.

Who looks at your digital footprint?

While colleges might not officially audit your social media, your online behavior can be scrutinized by future classmates and university offices. They may hold students accountable for actions that violate policies, reflecting the importance of maintaining a positive digital footprint.

Do jobs actually check your digital footprint?

Although not explicitly stated in the blog, it's widely recognized that employers can and often do review the digital footprints of potential employees as part of their background checks.

Can digital footprint be deleted?

Completely deleting a digital footprint can be challenging as some information may remain accessible or stored by third parties despite efforts to delete it. However, steps can be taken to reduce visibility, such as adjusting privacy settings or deleting old accounts.

Do Colleges Look at Your Digital Footprint? The Impact on College Admissions

College Counseling

May 28

Written By Lynne Fuller

We surveyed college admissions offices to understand how social media and other infractions are considered in the application process. Their responses shed light on how colleges investigate information about prospective students. The following is a summary of what these colleges communicated and sample case studies to help navigate these tricky waters. In short - how students conduct themselves will follow them, so be mindful in what is shared online and in print, and a private account is not actually private.

Do Colleges Conduct a Criminal Background Check?

In our sample size, one in five colleges conduct a criminal background check of their accepted students.

If a student attends a school in the state of Massachusetts, for example, and has a record, they must fill out a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check and follow all of the requisite procedures with the state to ensure they are meeting all parole qualifications. There are over 200 colleges that participate in the Second Chance Pell Experiment where those with criminal records or who have spent time in prison can qualify for federal funding and access to college coursework.

Do Colleges Conduct a Social Media Background Check?

None of the schools that responded to our survey conduct a social media audit of their accepted students. However, this result may not be representative of every university. It was mentioned that accounts are not private and posts often come back to haunt people. So does your digital footprint matter?

One school offered the advice of checking the background and foreground before posting a picture. Another shared that once students arrive at college, there will be university offices that hold them accountable for any actions taken that violate their policies. Even though a college will likely not conduct research into social accounts, future classmates will so being a “nice human” is really important when making a first impression…. again post wisely.

What Are the Most Common Infractions Shared With You?

Colleges shared the following as the reasons they see students sharing an additional information essay about an event.

Suspension for something posted online
Physical altercations
Plagiarism
Stealing
Drug or Alcohol use
Violation of School Policy
Violation of the Honor Code
Vaping
Cheating
Attendance Issues
Disrespectful Language

When Students Disclose Their Infractions, What Steps Do Colleges Take?

Colleges very much consider context in the case of situations that are disclosed. Often they will reach out for more information and speak with the school counselor. The goal is to ascertain if the student has matured, learned a lesson, and how that infraction has impacted their academic life and growth.

What is most important when disclosing is to be upfront about what happened and not blame others… if the school finds out later, they are less likely to give the benefit of the doubt. It is important to be honest about the incident and take accountability; if a student shows remorse or lessons learned that speaks volumes about their character.

Case Studies

One school shared that they had an applicant who attended a boarding school and was suspended due to inappropriate language on social media. This is a way that a student’s actions on social media could impact how a university views the student.

In this case, the admissions officer was able to speak candidly with the school counselor to gather more information on the incident, had that not been the case, it could have adversely affected the admissions decision for that student. This student also applied Early Decision with the fear that their infractions would hurt their chance of admission.

Another school shared that a student's infractions would not impact their admission decision. If a student reveals that they lied on their application (through a randomized verification process, or by disclosing it themselves, or once they match the transcript) after it has been submitted, then the school reserves the right to cancel their application or withdraw their conditional admission. This school typically only cancels the applicant’s admission if they intentionally misled us with their academic information.

In the end, your choices will have consequences, but being clear about the events and sharing with your school counselor and admissions representative in a manner that defines your next steps in a manner that demonstrates growth is essential in being offered the opportunity to attend a university.