In Addition To Your Application Many Colleges Ask For Additional Documents To Be Submitted By Recommenders On Your Behalf
There are four types of recommenders you can invite: Personal, Professional, Academic, and High School Official.
Each program has different recommendation requirements. In order to see a programâs recommendation requirements, go to the programâs section in the Program Materials and proceed to the Recommendation tab of that program.
On the Recommendations tab youâll find helpful information including:
-
An “Add Recommendation” button to begin inviting recommenders
-
The types of recommenders the program requires
-
The number of each recommendation type they require and how many they allow â for example, a program might require 2 academic recommendations, but will allow up to 4
To invite recommenders:
Transcript collection
Submit your college coursework, if required
Understand The Risks Of Transferring Colleges
The prospect of starting over can be exciting but you have to realize that moving on to a new college has serious risks to consider. Among them:
- Not being able to transfer all your existing college credits. Even if you have spoken with your advisor and made a plan to take courses that can be accepted by your new university, theres still a chance that not all your earned credits will make it especially if they dont make the minimum grade requirements.
- Your grades can be affected when you move to another school in a common phenomenon called transfer shock. Students who are adjusting after their move may likely experience a decline in grade point average.
- The possibility of having a worse social experience in your new school, for students who want to find a new college for reasons like peer pressure or an unsuitable social environment. We recommend that you re-evaluate your motivation because these problems cant be solved by transferring colleges.
- The risk of forgetting to secure your spot once youre accepted. After you receive the good news, dont forget to submit other necessary paperwork and pending payments that may be needed to make things official. Dont undo all your hard work by failing to double-check all the requirements asked of you.
- The potential of losing out on financial aid. .
Do I Have To Transfer All College Credits
If youre concerned youll need to transfer all of your credits to a new school , you can relax. Most colleges wont accept transfer credits unless you earned at least a B. Others will give you credit as long as you earned a passing grade. Since these policies vary from school to school, the best answer to this question will come from the registrars office of the school youre transferring to.
Recommended Reading: School Books Buy Back
Transferring Colleges Sophomore Year
High school GPA and SAT scores are still important in your sophomore year, but the relevance of these metrics begins to fade with each credit hour completed. In an article for USA Todays Voices from Campus column, Jeremy Azurin points out that some colleges have a 30 credit policy that erases the need for your high school history entirely.
Should your target institution use this benchmark to focus instead on your undergraduate accomplishments, then this can be a boon to your transfer prospects if you werent the best student during your years in high school. Of course, this sword can cut both ways for those students whose initial time on campus hasnt gone so well.
When transferring schools in your sophomore year, use the following steps to keep you on track:
Get In Touch With The New University
While considering the transfer option, it is necessary for you to check the features and policies of the university you wish to get transferred to. Right from the course curriculum, infrastructure to course fees and faculty need to be checked so that you can select the right university this time. Once you are certain about your choice of university, you need to gather information about the transfer policies of that institution so that you can start the transfer process.
Don’t Miss: Ashworth College Pharmacy Tech Reviews
Meet With Your Advisor
If you have already, speak with your advisor about transferring. Probabilities are, theyve gone through the procedure before with another student.
Theyll know who to talk to in the registrar, admissions, and financial aid offices at your school. Also, they should be able to give you an awareness of which credits transfer.
Align Your Course Selection With The Transfer Application
If you apply to be an agriculture major but dont take agriculture classes, its going to be pretty hard to convince them youre a genuine applicant
It you dont know what you want to study, dont worry – millions of students enroll as undeclared majors.
However, if you know what you want to study and you align your course selections and application appropriately, you will have a much better shot at acceptance.
Universities often accept transfer applicants to fulfill very targeted spots. For example, maybe they need more economics or engineering majors while they are swamped with Spanish majors.
If you actively want to study a subject that fulfills a need in the schools study body, and your application and essay speak to that desire, they will interpret your application as cohesive and purposeful.
Also Check: Schools That Accept 2.5 Gpa
Scholarships And Grants For Transfer Students
Transfer students may lose some of their scholarships if they switch schools. Notably, school-specific scholarships cannot shift to your new college. If you received your scholarship from an outside foundation or community group, you may be able to transfer those awards to your new college.
That said, there are many scholarships available to transfer students. Most scholarship applications require you to submit an essay and your school transcripts. Some may require you to demonstrate financial need, while others may ask you to highlight your achievements in art, sports, leadership, and/or public service. Many scholarships also require a letter of recommendation from an advisor or mentor.
College grants are funds that students receive free of charge, with no condition of repayment. To receive college grants from the government, students must apply by submitting the FAFSA. Grants are not scholarships.
While scholarships are typically awarded based on academics, athletics, or some form of achievement, grants are dispensed based primarily on financial need. Grants are also available to students participating in military-sponsored programs and students in STEM and healthcare fields.
Students are not limited to the grants provided by the government. Many colleges, businesses, and other private and public organizations offer grants to reduce the burden of tuition.
Award Amount: up to $40,000 per year
Write An Outstanding Transfer Essay
Writing an application essay is a commonality between the first-year process and the transfer process, although they are not identical. A good transfer personal statement addresses both a prospective transfer students reasons for transferring and the objectives they hope to achieve at a new school. Its important that this essay be honest but positive you should never trash your current school or anything about it.
On top of this essay, you may also need to respond to more specific prompts for certain schools. Some of these are the same as for first-year applicants others are different. Be sure to make a complete list of all the required essays once youve decided where to apply.
Read Also: Samsung Laptops For College Students
Your School Is Too Hard
College isn’t supposed to be easy. Most new college students struggle with their classesthat goes for transfer students too. The expectations in college are much higher than in high school and calculus is calculus wherever you go. If you want to succeed in college, don’t run away from challenges by fleeing to an “easier” school. Instead, take advantage of resources available to you to boost your grades.
Check Out Which Credits Transfer
In certain cases, you will transfer college credits from your present school to your expected school. Send a transcript to the university you want to attend and find out which of your credits will transfer.
There are other schools, however, that will not receive transfer credits. If thats the case, weigh whether starting completely fresh will be worth it.
Recommended Reading: Apple Music College Student Discount
Check For Credit Transfers
After vetting your target schools, youll need to determine how many of your existing credits will transfer. Some schools do not accept transfer credit hours at all. In such cases, youll have to start all over again from year one. While its not uncommon for students to repeat their freshman year at their target institution, repeating means spending more time and money on your education.
College Transfer Acceptance Rate
Youll also want to make sure you target schools where you have a strong chance of admission. One way is to look at the transfer admission rates. However, be aware that transfer admission rates vary much more than first-year admission rates. Especially for small colleges, the number of open spots for transfers can vary widely from year to year, as can the number of applicants. As such, its important to look at the raw numbers, not just the admissions percentage. How many spots do they usually have, and how many prospective students apply?
You May Like: Can I Test Out Of A College Class
Lifespan Of College Credits
Asides from some of the factors mentioned above, the real question is would your credit expires. Your credits would not expire, but they can have a short lifespan, meaning if it is eligible for transfer to another program or not.
Again it depends on the college youre applying to, some colleges give credits a lifespan of ten years, if your credits are over ten years old they may not consider you transferring them, but it all depends on the colleges policy youre applying to.
It would be in your favor to apply to colleges after researching their transfer credit policies and finding the one which fits you properly.
After youve researched and found some transfer-friendly colleges all you need to do is send the institution your transcript, even your high school grades if you took any AP classes. You should send all important documents involving your academic history.
Try talking to an admissions officer to discuss your chances of getting your credits transferred. They should be able to explain to you the colleges policies when it comes to credit transfer. Also, some colleges would ask you to take placement exams to test your knowledge and know whether youre fit to keep on going from where you stopped.
Its possible that you wouldnt be allowed to transfer your credits to the college of your choice, so you would have to retake the courses.
Assess Your Primary Reason For Transferring
First, its important to understand why you want to transfer schools in the first place. Does your current school have insufficient lab or research opportunities in your field? Did your academic program face significant cuts? Is the student body too large, too small, too homogeneous? Does the career advising at your current school not meet your needs? Do you need to be closer to your family for personal reasons?
Whatever it is, having a strong reason for transferring into a new academic program will help ground your application and make you a more competitive applicant.
Also Check: What Is The Lowest Gpa Colleges Accept
Can I Transfer Colleges After One Year
Most universities require that you have completed at least one year of college before you enroll. That means that for most places, the earliest you can apply is the spring of your first year, after which youll start anew as a sophomore at a new school. However, you should also double-check how many credit hours youve earned just spending time at a college may not be sufficient if you havent taken a full course load or passed enough courses.
How Do I Transfer Schools
If you decide transferring colleges is the right move for achieving your goals, you should first determine the features you want from your new program. Some factors to consider include academic quality, school size, cost, campus environment, and available resources or support systems.
Next, you must learn how to transfer credits to another college. It’s important to work with both your current and prospective school to determine how many credits transfer and whether the credits will count toward your major. If not, you may incur extra costs.
If you think transferring is your best option for achieving your goals but aren’t sure, you should contact an advisor at your current school. They can help you sort through your questions/concerns and offer suggestions.
Another benefit of reaching out to an advisor is learning how to transfer college credits. They can help you fill out the correct forms, request transcripts, and provide information about possible transfer agreements the school holds with other institutions. This process may help you narrow down school choices and find an option that fits both your budget and educational goals.
Another thing to consider when researching transfer opportunities is accreditation and articulation agreements. Schools with accreditation meet strict quality and educational guidelines. Also, a degree from an accredited institution is more prestigious to potential employers.
Also Check: How Fast Can You Graduate College
Evaluate If Transferring Is The Best Option
Before you start researching and applying to schools, take a step back and decide if transferring is absolutely necessary. The transfer process will take up a fair amount of your time, and you will have to essentially start over socially and culturally at a new school. So, if the problem youre having at your current school is fixable, it may be worth it to stick it out.
Do a very clear assessment and a reality check of what it is thats making you want to leave the school. Are you homesick? Are you missing your boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you have a lousy roommate? These are all factors that one can work with versus leaving, said Doe.
Its also important to keep in mind that the admissions for transfer students is even more restrictive than it usually is for incoming freshmen. So, if youre re-applying to a school you didnt get into the first time around, your chances for getting in tend to be lower than they were before.
If the reason you want to transfer is because you didnt get into Harvard and youre at Cornell, but you still want to try one more time to get into Harvard, save your time and save your money and shift your attitude, because Harvard only admits 15 . You were denied and nothings changed since you applied, said Doe.
Will My College Credits Transfer
The most obvious risk of transferring colleges is that you will lose existing college credits that you have earned. The most likely scenario is that some, but not all, of your college credits will transfer. Additionally, many universities have minimum grade requirements for a course to count for transfer credit.
You can select a university from the list below to see a breakdown of its minimum grade requirements:
Also Check: Ashworth College Cost
Transfer Students Are Asking
What is transcript evaluation? What do I need? How long does it take?
Transcript evaluation is the process in which a students new college determines which credits the student earned at their old institution will transfer and how. Students must send their official transcripts from all previously-attended institutions to their anticipated school, and they must fill out a transcript evaluation request. Even though they must send transcripts for admission purposes, transcripts wont necessarily be evaluated without submission of an evaluation request form. Processing time varies depending on the volume of requests received by the school, so its good to do this as early as possible.
How does transferring from quarters to semester and vice versa work?
Transferring between schools with different term systems can be tricky, but it is possible. Usually, institutions grant split or partial credit for courses completed at schools with differing term breakdowns. Transcript evaluations, course equivalency guides and transfer specialists can help students understand exactly how their credits will apply to their new school.
What kind of credits typically will not transfer?
Do grades transfer, or just credits?
Some colleges will factor GPA earned at previous school into a student’s final GPA, and others only consider grades received at their institution. Prospective transfer students can check with an academic advisor to determine if their GPA will transfer to their anticipated school.
Transferring From A University In The Home Country To The Us
Starting a degree in your home country, then transferring to the US later to complete it, gives you the opportunity to acclimate to university life in a familiar environment first, which may help you adjust faster when you arrive in the US.
To be eligible to transfer to a US university or college, your completed courses need to be evaluated to determine which credits are transferable. This process can take time, so it is best to start as early as possible to make sure you meet admission deadlines. Some credits may not be transferable, which means you may be required to complete additional classes in the US, which can also impact your timeline for graduation.
No matter which transfer option you want to start planning for, the first step is to understand the transfer policies of your own institution and the ones you are considering transferring to.
Recommended Reading: Cheapest University In Illinois