Do colleges do a background check on students before deciding admission or do they do it after admission? or do they not do a background check at all?
It depends on the college…some do a version of a background check before extending offers, some do it after the final transcripts are in before the first day of school…
The answer will also depend on what you mean by a background check. At a minimum, schools providing financial aid check a central database to ensure that the student does not owe money to another college and that the reporting of educational history was accurate.
Legal background check, I don’t think so. However, it is important still not to lie about whether you have been suspended/charged with anything, etc. They could call your high school counselor.
My D and I have done several visits and ALL mention how they now commonly check facebook and google to see if any red flags appear. Two schools actually mentioned that several students were waitlisted when “disturbing” photos appeared. A neighbor’s son was accepted, and later acceptance rescinded, when it was learned that he applied ED to 2 schools. He was accepted to both and got out of one because of “financial problems.” It took months to be discovered, but he is now attending community college hoping to transfer next year. Just be careful and honest with any info you submit and things you post on social media!