While college life may not be as glamorous as it’s often portrayed, it has become an essential component of the The Sims franchise. It all began with The Sims 2: University, the first expansion to introduce the college experience and young adults to the game, greatly enriching its gameplay.
With the additional content brought by this expansion, starting your college journey can feel overwhelming. There are specific steps to get your college life underway, and they might not always be straightforward. Furthermore, there are several factors to consider once you arrive on campus.
Overview of College Campuses
To utilize most features of The Sims 2: University, you must add a college campus to your neighborhood. This inclusion brings various places for students to live and socialize.
Available Universities
By default, there are three ready-made university campuses you can integrate into any neighborhood in The Sims 2:
- La Fiesta Tech
- Académie Le Tour
- Sim State University
If none of these options appeal to you, feel free to design your own college town from scratch, just like any other map!
Be sure to manually add one (or more) of these campuses to your chosen neighborhood before diving in. You can place the same campus in multiple neighborhoods, but each will function as a separate entity.
You cannot send Sims to college or access the Create A Student feature until a campus is added to your selected neighborhood.
Adding a College Campus to Your Neighborhood
To get started, open your neighborhood from the main screen or enter through Live Mode. Look at the toolbar at the top of the neighborhood overview page.
Click the button featuring a graduation cap. This will open a menu that lets you select the campus you wish to add, including a brief description and an image of each campus.
Choose your preferred campus (or opt to add all of them) and wait as the game builds the college. Once it’s complete, the campus will automatically load, allowing you to kick off your college adventure.
Getting Into University
To attend university, any Teen Sim can use a phone or computer. In the phone menu, select Call, then choose College. This will present several options, including applying for scholarships and moving to college.
Unlike some other games, there is no tedious application process; when a Teen Sim decides to attend college, a taxi is dispatched immediately to pick them up. Once they arrive at the campus, they will be added to the Family Bin in the campus sub-neighborhood.
You can move your Sim directly into one of the properties from the Family Bin or even merge them with another household. Alternatively, you can use the Create A Student menu to create a new Sim from scratch.
The process is similar if you decide to use a computer instead of a phone. Just select the College option and then choose Move To College, where you can also apply for scholarships.
Unfortunately, Adult and Elder Sims cannot attend college. However, you can cheat to revert an Adult Sim back to a Teen to start the process.
Sending Sims to College via the Family Bin
If there’s a Teen Sim in the Family Bin within any neighborhood, you can use the Send Teens to College tool to initiate the process. They must have at least a D- grade in High School to qualify.
College campuses also come pre-loaded with families. If you prefer to skip the setup process, you can start playing as one of these existing households.
The Young Adult Life Stage
The Sims 2: University introduced the Young Adult life stage. Young Adults have nearly all the freedoms of Adults except for marriage, pregnancy, and full-time employment.
This life stage is exclusive to Sims attending university, automatically making any enrolled Sim a Young Adult. After graduating, they transition into regular Adults.
You can also create Young Adults through the Create A Student feature, which functions similarly to Create A Sim, allowing you to construct Young Adult Sims from the ground up.
You can create Teen Sims in a regular neighborhood like Pleasantville and send them directly to university as soon as the household is loaded.
Tuition and Scholarships
In The Sims 2, college attendance is completely free. Additionally, Teen Sims venturing into college receive 500 Simoleons to kickstart this new life phase. While it may not be substantial, it’s a helpful start.
Teens can also apply for scholarships to ease their college expenses. This can be done using a phone or computer, mirroring the process for attending university. Unfortunately, once a Sim becomes a Young Adult, they can no longer apply for scholarships.
You can review accepted scholarships under the same menu used to apply for them.
Fields of Study at University
At the beginning, all Freshmen Sims have an Undecided Major. However, diligent Sims will need to select a Major at university, and thankfully, there are numerous options available:
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Your Sim will need to develop their skills as they progress through their courses, which will vary based on their chosen Major. Generally, Sims will emerge from college as well-rounded individuals.
When it’s time to declare your Sim’s Major, you’ll be presented with a clear overview of what each one entails, including a course summary, a prospective job list, and the skills that will improve during their studies.
Graduates have enhanced career opportunities compared to Sims who skipped college, opening paths in fields such as Artist, Natural Scientist, Paranormal, and Show Business.
Majors may also be linked to careers introduced in other DLC, often aligning with intuitive career paths. For instance, Psychology correlates with Education, and Biology connects with Medicine.
Declaring a Major
When you’re prepared to select a Major for your Sim, approach a computer and contact the Registrar. Choose College, then click Registrar – Change Major. A window will pop up with all the essential information about each course.
Select the desired Major by clicking on its icon and hitting the check mark at the bottom of the dialogue box. If you’re uncertain about which icon corresponds to which course, don’t worry; details regarding the course will be displayed when you click on each icon.
It’s crucial for Sims to declare their Major before they reach their third year. Failing to do so automatically enrolls them as Philosophy Majors—which has its own advantages, to be fair.
Dropping Out of College
If your Sim has had enough of the college scene, they can drop out anytime. Just select the phone and use the College interaction again. One of the options available will be to Drop Out Of College.
This decision is both immediate and irreversible. Sims who withdraw and leave campus will age up to Adults as they exit. So, think carefully before making this choice.
Living Arrangements for University Students
All students are required to live on campus. This means Sims can’t reside in places like Strangetown and commute to classes. While living on campus, they have several different housing options:
|
Type of Residence |
Description |
|
On-campus residential houses |
Houses available for rent on campus. |
|
Greek societies |
Fraternities and sororities. |
|
Dormitories |
Private rooms in large shared properties. |
You’ll need to apply and be accepted to become part of a Greek society, whereas you can immediately rent a dorm or a house. Renting on-campus houses tends to be more expensive than dormitories, resembling regular off-campus living in this iteration of The Sims.
If you opt for a dorm, you’ll need to select a room by clicking on its door and choosing Claim Door. Once your Sim successfully claims a room, their face will appear on the door. Act quickly to secure your preferred room before someone else claims it!
If a Greek life experience appeals to you, you’ll need to complete a few more steps. To apply for a fraternity or sorority, select a phone and go to Greek House then Join. To successfully join, focus on making friends with existing members of that fraternity or sorority.
If you want to embrace Greek life, keep in mind that Académie Le Tour does not offer any Greek societies.
