Complete Guide To University Life In The Sims 2: University

College life may not be all it’s cracked up to be, but it’s a gameplay staple of The Sims franchise. The Sims 2: University was the first time college – and Young Adults generally – were introduced to the series, adding a huge amount of depth to the gameplay at the same time.

Because of how much extra content was added with the DLC, getting settled in on campus can be daunting. There are a few steps you have to take to get college started, and they aren’t always intuitive. More than that, there are a few things to keep in mind once you get there.

University Campuses, Explained

Naturally, to play with most of the features from The Sims 2: University, you’ll need to add a college campus to your neighbourhood. This adds a number of different places for college students to live and hang around in.

Which Universities Are There?

By default, there are three pre-built university campuses you can add to any world in The Sims 2:

• La Fiesta Tech
• Académie Le Tour
• Sim State University

If none of them pique your interest, then you can also design your own college town from scratch, much like you could design any new map.

Make sure you manually add one (or several) of these campuses to whichever neighbourhood you’re playing in before you get started. You can add the same campus to multiple neighbourhoods if you want, but each of them will be separate.

You won’t be able to send Sims to college or access Create A Student until you add a campus to your chosen neighbourhood.

How To Add A College Campus To A Neighbourhood

Open up a neighbourhood from the home screen or enter the Neighbourhood menu from Live Mode. Navigate to the toolbar at the top of the screen on the neighbourhood overview.

Click the button with a graduation cap on it. This will open up a menu which allows you to choose which campus you want to add. You should also be able to see a short summary of each place alongside a screenshot.

Select your chosen campus (or add all of them) and wait for the game to load while college is under construction. After it’s done its thing, it’ll open up the campus automatically and you’ll be all ready to get started with college life.

How To Get Into University

Any Teen Sim can use a phone or computer to go to university. When selecting a phone, choose the Call menu then select College. When they call, they will be given a few options. They can apply for scholarships, review accepted scholarships, or use Move To College.

Sims don’t have to apply and wait to be approved for university in The Sims 2, so a taxi will head their way to pick them up straight away. When they’ve been picked up, they’ll be added to the Family Bin in the campus subneighbourhood.

You can move your Sim straight into a property from the Family Bin. This also gives you the chance to merge them with another household. You can also choose to use the Create A Student menu here instead, if you’d rather make a Sim from scratch.

The process is much the same if you choose a computer instead of a phone. But this time, you’ll choose the College interaction, followed by either Move To College. Similarly, you can apply for scholarships from here.

Unfortunately, Adult and Elder Sims have missed their chance at college. However, you could use cheats to age a Sim down to a Teen and then start the process.

Using The Family Bin To Send Sims To College

If there is a Teen Sim in the Family Bin of any neighbourhood, then you can also use the Send Teens to College tool to start things off. They must have at least a D- grade at High School for this to work.

The Send Teens to College button can be found in the Family Bin, again noted by a graduation cap. If you click on it, it gives you the option of merging any eligible Teens into a household together. After you’ve selected your Sims, they’ll be sent to the campus Family Bin.

College campuses also come with pre-loaded families, so if you want to skip the fuss then you can just start playing as one of those. Some households already live in properties while others are in the Family Bin.

Understanding The Young Adult Life Stage

The Sims 2: University introduced the Young Adult life stage. Young Adults can do almost anything Adults can do, besides get married, pregnant, or take on a full-time job.

This life stage is only available to Sims enrolled at university. Any Sim who goes to university will automatically become a Young Adult. When they graduate, they’ll grow up into regular Adults.

Alternatively, you can make them using Create A Student mode. This works similarly to Create A Sim but allows you to make Young Adult Sims from scratch, which you can’t normally do.

You can also just make Teen Sims in a regular neighbourhood like Pleasantville and send them straight to university as soon as you load the household in.

Tuition Fees And Scholarships

College is completely free in The Sims 2. In fact, Teen Sims who go to college will be given 500 Simoleons to start off the next chapter of their lives. It doesn’t go very far, but it’s something.

Teens can also apply for scholarships to help make college life a bit more comfortable. You can do this with a computer or phone using the same method you use to send a Teen to university. Sadly, Young Adult Sims have left it too late and can’t do this.

You can also review which scholarships you’ve accepted under the same menu you would use to apply for them in the first place.

What Can I Study At University?

At first, all Freshmen Sims will have an Undecided Major. But, Studious Sims need to choose a Major at University. Thankfully, they have quite a few options to choose from:

Your Sim will have to be prepared to level their skills throughout their courses. Which skills they level will depend on which Major they choose, but in general Sims can expect to graduate as pretty well-rounded individuals.

When you go to declare your Sim’s Major, you’ll see a clear overview of exactly what each Major has to offer. You’ll be able to see a course summary, a list of jobs that your Sim should get a leg-up for, and which skills they’ll level while on their course.

College graduates have more employment opportunities available to them than Sims who skipped school. This includes Artist, Natural Scientist, Paranormal, and Show Business.

The Majors can also be associated with other careers from other DLC, and they tend to be pretty self-explanatory. For example, Psychology is associated with the Education career, and Biology is linked to Medicine.

How To Declare A Major

When you’re ready to decide what to dedicate your Sim’s time to, you can grab a computer and contact the Registrar. Select College, then click Registrar – Change Major. A window will open giving you everything you need to know about each course.

Pick your Sim’s Major by clicking on the relevant icon and clicking the tick at the bottom of the box. If you aren’t sure which icon corresponds to which course, don’t worry; it’ll tell you which course it is and what it entails when you click it.

Sims must declare their Major before their third year of college. If they don’t, they’ll automatically become Philosophy Majors – which, to be fair, has its own benefits.

How To Drop Out Of College

Sick of frat boys and animal mascots? Sims who want out can bail at any time. Just select the phone and use the College interaction again. When your Sim dials college, one of the options available will be to Drop Out Of College.

Not only is this immediate, it’s also irreversible. Sims who drop out and go home will age up into Adults on leaving campus. So, don’t make this decision lightly.

Where Can University Students Live?

All students must live on campus. This means they couldn’t live somewhere like Strangetown and commute for classes. While living on campus, Sims have a couple of different lot types to choose from:

You’ll have to apply and be accepted to get into a Greek society, while you can just rent a dorm or house immediately. Campus houses are more expensive than dorms while being the most like regular off-campus properties in The Sims 2.

If you choose to move into a dorm, you’ll have to claim which room you want by selecting a door and clicking Claim Door. Once your Sim has successfully grabbed a room, their face will appear on the door. Act quick before someone else gets the room you want!

For the Sims who want a taste of Greek living, they’ll naturally need to jump through a few more hoops. To apply for a frat or sorority, select a phone and choose Greek House then Join. But, for a successful rush, you’ll have to make friends with other members of your chosen society.

If you want to enjoy frat or sorority life, don’t go to Académie Le Tour. It doesn’t have any Greek societies.