How to Plan a College Fair: Registration, Tables and Check-In

A college fair brings admissions representatives from dozens of colleges into one room with high school students and their families. Most are hosted by a high school counseling office, a school district or a community organization. You are running two events at once: one for the college representatives who need a table, and one for the students and families who walk the room. This guide covers the timeline, the two registration flows, the room, check-in, and what to send colleges afterwards.

Timeline

• Five to six months out: Pick the date and venue. Check it against regional college fairs, testing dates and school holidays in your area. Admissions representatives plan fall travel early, and a date that clashes with a larger fair nearby costs you colleges.
• Four months out: Open college representative registration and send the link to admissions offices.
• Six weeks out: Open student and family registration. Announce it through counselors, the school newsletter and families' email lists.
• Two weeks out: Close college registration, assign tables and send each representative their table number and arrival time.
• Day before: Set up check-in devices and test them on the venue Wi-Fi.

Two Registration Flows in One Event

Create one event with two ticket tiers: College Representative and Student or Family. In CompleteEvent, registration questions can be limited to one tier, so each group answers only its own questions.

College representatives

• Institution name and the names of everyone staffing the table
• Number of tables, and whether they need power
• Parking or loading needs
• A link to the materials or programs they want families to see

If you charge colleges a table fee, make the representative tier a paid ticket. Paid tickets need a connected Stripe account, and the money goes to your organization.

Students and families

• Student name, grade and high school
• Number of family members attending
• Intended majors or areas of interest
• A checkbox asking permission to share contact details with colleges they visit

Keep the student form short. Grade, school and interests are what colleges and your own report need. Only share student contact details with colleges when the student opts in on the form.

Tables and the Room

Assign tables in a spreadsheet once college registration closes. Group colleges by type or region so families can work the room in order. Upload the finished floor plan to the event as an image. Families see it in their event guide on their phones and can zoom in to find a college.

Send each representative their table number, arrival time and parking instructions by email about two weeks out. Representatives usually arrive 45 to 60 minutes before doors open.

Check-In

Run two check-in points. A representative table opens an hour before the fair, where a staff member checks in each college and hands over table signs. The family entrance opens at the start time, with QR scanning from confirmation emails.

Many families arrive without registering. Put a tablet in Kiosk Mode with walk-in sign-in turned on. Families type their name and email, and they are added and checked in at once. This also gives you a complete count for your report, including the families who did not register.

On the Pro plan, give each college a sponsor lead capture link. Representatives record the students who stop at their table by scanning or typing the code from the student's ticket, and add a note. Each college sees only its own list.

After the Fair

• Export registrations with check-in status for your district or school report: attendance by grade and by school.
• Send each college the students who visited their table and opted in to sharing.
• Duplicate the event next year. Ticket tiers, registration questions and event settings carry over, so you change the date and venue and open registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do families need to register in advance for a college fair?

Pre-registration helps you plan space and gives colleges a sense of turnout, but most fairs also accept walk-ins. A self-service kiosk with walk-in sign-in records families who did not register.

How do colleges get information about students at the fair?

Either you send each college the opted-in students who checked in, or each representative records students at their table with a lead capture link. In both cases, share contact details only with student consent.

What does college fair registration software cost?

CompleteEvent's Free plan covers one event with up to 100 attendees, including representatives. Paid plans raise the limit to 200, 500 or unlimited attendees, and schools get 20% off paid plans.

Set up your college fair registration. The Free plan needs no credit card.