Which College Should I Transfer To

When To Transfer From A Community College

Universities and community colleges often have partnerships, called articulation agreements, to make the transfer easier. These are a huge boon in transferring, as it means there’s already a pathway for success. Take advantage of it if you can!

If your current school and your desired school don’t have an articulation agreement, that’s okay. It just means that you’ll need to be a little more diligent in your planning and researchagain, the help of an adviser will be invaluable.

Generally, community college students transferring to a four-year university will want to do so after completing the requirements for their associate’s degree, meaning you’ll enter your four-year school as a junior.

An associate’s degree effectively locks your credits in. If you want to take some time off before transferring, you can do so without worrying that your credits will depreciate. If you transfer before receiving your associate’s degree, your credits may actually lose value, meaning you’ll have to take more classes to transfer successfully, costing you more money and time.

There’s no foolproof time in the year to transfer. Stay on top of your academic plan and your required credits, and plan to transfer when you’re finished.

Would My Current Credits Transfer

Another practical consideration to make is how a transfer would impact your progress to date. Some colleges do not accept certain credits, depending on the schools from where they come. Check with the institution you are interested in to make sure your prior courses will transfer over, so you do not lose progress on your time and money already invested.

Transferring from one school to another can be challenging, but there are schools that work to make the process as seamless as possible for incoming students. At Goodwin University, for example, most of your credits never expire. Over half of all new students have transferred from other schools, and previous learning is typically evaluated in less than one business day.

Transferring To Emory University

Emory Transfer Admission Rate: 33.7% / Emory Freshman Admission Rate: 13.1%

Emorys world-class academics and stellar school spirit are bound to welcome you warmly come fall. While Emorys minimum cumulative GPA is a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, most applicants have a GPA of 3.5 or better, so youll want to make sure that your performance at your current institution stacks up to the talented and competitive transfer applicant pool for this Atlanta institution.

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How To Transfer Colleges Step

First, ask yourself if transferring is really the best decision for you.

If your reasons for wanting to leave your current school include insufficient resources, poor options for major programs, or location, for example, then it is pretty certain that all of those issues will be resolved at a new school.

On the other hand, if you are unhappy at your current school because of social issues, difficulty adjusting to campus living, or any problems that very well may exist at any college or university, then you might consider sticking it out and seeing if things change over the course of your freshman year.

Of course, it is ultimately your decision to make, and transferring as soon as you know that you are unhappy minimizes the amount of time you will spend at a less-than-ideal school.

Once you are absolutely certain that transferring is the best decision for you, decide what college you would like to transfer to.

It will be helpful to do a bit of research about each school you are considering transferring to, especially with regard to admission statistics and requirements.

The next step is to see how many of your credits will or will not transfer to your new school of choice.

Although other schools are under no obligation to accept credits you completed at your previous university, many colleges will accept some number of transfer credits, especially for general education courses.

Read Up On Their Transfer Admissions Process

Transferring to another institution can be intimidating and isolating. Some colleges and universities recognize the difficulty of adjusting to a new school, making new friends, and finding your way around a new campus they work to make the experience easier. Transfer-

friendly schools have clear pathways for transferring credits and offer support for transfer students even after enrollment.

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Why A Transfer Might Make Sense

• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

About 30% of college students transfer to a different school at some point during their academic career, but not all of them transfer for legitimate reasons and not all students who should transfer do. Too often, students switch schools because they’re unhappy with their social life, failing a class, or don’t like their roommate. These are not ideal situations, but they are not reasons to transfer.

However, there are plenty of legitimate reasons for transferring. Consider the following factors when determining whether a transfer is the right decision for you.

Important Things To Keep In Mind When Transferring Community Colleges

Starting a new school is an exciting time! A new campus, new faces and new opportunities await. Now that you have enrolled at your new school, here are some tips to get you off to a brilliant start.

Update your Free Application for Federal Student Aid application with your new college and check for qualifying scholarships and grants with your schools financial aid office. Dont wait for someone to contact you. The earlier you get started, the better! Be sure to log in to your student account to view your financial aid awards.

Youll also want to visit with your academic advisor or counselor to review your degree plan or area of focus. This can help you choose which courses to enroll in that can satisfy your schools general education requirements and, if you plan to transfer to a four-year university or another four-year school, abides by the transfer agreement of a partnered university.

Once you have enrolled in your courses for the semester, keep track of class start dates. Whether you prefer to write it down or add them to your electronic calendar, know the dates and times of your selected courses so that you dont miss the first day.

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Transfer Admission Rate Versus Freshman Admission Rate

In addition to ease of transfer, you should definitely take the difference between each schools freshman admission rate and transfer admission rate into consideration. Many top schools have transfer admission rates that are double or triple their freshman admission rates, meaning that you statistically will have stronger chances of admission as a transfer applicant than as a high school applicant in comparison to the total pool of applicants.

How To Transfer Colleges With A Low Gpa

If your GPA at your current school is low, you might be concerned that you will not be accepted as a transfer student at any other school. Fortunately, there are several relatively simple steps you can take to improve your chances of being admitted to another college.

For one, you should do your best to explain why your GPA is low in your transfer application essay.

Suppose you have experienced any personal hardships that have contributed to your poor academic performance. In that case, informing universities of these struggles shows that your current grades do not accurately reflect your full academic potential.

Be honest, and do not be afraid to include whatever details and information you feel might give the office of admissions at your desired school a better sense of who you are, not just as a student, but also as a unique, capable individual who had loads of great qualities and will positively contribute to their campus community.

Your low GPA should also factor into your decision about where to apply. Your chances of being admitted to a highly selective school with a low GPA are slim to none, but there are many excellent schools out there that have much more flexible admissions requirements.

Additionally, you can make an effort to make the parts of your application that reflect more positively on your academic capabilities stand out.

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When Should You Plan To Transfer

Ideally, you’ve been planning to transfer from the beginning, and you’ve been working with your adviser and transfer school to make the process smoother. But that’s not always the casesometimes you don’t foresee a program switch, or maybe you’re moving due to military enlistment.

The best time to start planning for your transfer is when you start school. The second best time to start planning for your transfer is now, so get started right away!

Once you’re certain that you want to transfer, set up an appointment with your adviser and go over your current credits, what credits will transfer, and what additional things you’ll need to successfully move to a new school. Create an academic plan and follow it.

If you need to transfer sooner than a plan will allow, work with an adviser to determine your best path forward. Don’t try to do it all on your ownnavigating required credits versus transferable credits can be extremely difficult, and having an advocate will make everything easier on you.

If you do want to do some individual research, you can use College Transfer, a tool that helps students compare college transfer programs and find out if credits transfer, to get a good sense of how well you’re prepared to transfer.

Best Colleges/universities To Transfer

The colleges mentioned below are providing an ideal combination of good quality education, affordability, and alumni success.

Youll notice colleges in California dominate our list below. Thats not surprising – the states two four-year college systems have a clearly defined pathway for community college students, supported by a statewide set of general education courses that will transfer between institutions.

Other states, like Florida, also guaranteeing admission to a public four-year college for students who start at community colleges.

If you are feeling that your current institution isnt ideal for you, then instead of just hanging on with it, you need to move towards an institution that matches your needs and the first step to this process is the transfer application.

So, invest your time in the transfer application, as it is the first step towards studying in your dream school. Making the admission officers believe that their college is a perfect fit for you is the primary goal over here. So using the correct words and reasons is the key in this process.

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College Credit Transfer: How Does It Work

Many transfer students worry about whether the college credits they’ve earned will transfer to their new institution.

“When I speak with , I find their main concern is, ‘Will my credits transfer?'” explained Kahle. “I try to educate them to instead ask, ‘How will my transfer credits apply to my degree?'”

In general, transferring credits is simplest between public schools within the same state. These schools often maintain articulation agreements, which facilitate college credit transfer and may even guarantee admission to students who meet specific requirements.

For example, the University of Wisconsin-Madison maintains transfer agreements with several in-state partner institutions. Similarly, California’s public colleges and universities run a website called ASSIST to help students see how credits earned at one state school can transfer to another.

Checking to see if the school you want to transfer to has an articulation agreement with your current school is a good first step in determining whether your credits will transfer. You can use online tools to search for transfer agreements.

Ultimately, the power to accept or reject transfer credits lies with the credit-receiving institution. Here are some of the ways college credit transfer works at U.S. colleges.

Think About Transfer Credits

The transfer admission process can be complex. Sometimes, schools will not take all of the college credits you took from your current school. Check to see if your school has an articulation agreement with the other institutions you are interested in. An articulation agreement is an agreement between two colleges that guarantee credits completed at one college or university will be accepted by the other university. According to US News, four-year colleges in Florida and California usually have comprehensive articulation agreements with two-year colleges. In other words, the transition between community college and four-year institutions may be easier in those states as the transfer process is clear and established.

It is important to think about transferring credits because if the schools you plan to ultimately transfer to do not accept credits, you may find yourself retaking classes and paying more money to do so.

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Transferring From Online College To University

Most on-campus programs accept transfer credits from regionally accredited online schools just like they would from other on-campus colleges.

When you compare tuition prices for your old school and your new one, its helpful to also factor in housing or transportation costs. Those factors may create a price hike if youre used to doing school from the comfort of your own home.

What Is A Degree Completion Program

If you have completed several semesters of school and only have one or two classes with poor grades, a degree completion program may be an option for you. These programs are designed for motivated adult learners to transfer into a school to complete their degree.

Many of these programs seek students who have a solid GPA, but they also look at factors beyond your grades, such as:

• Overall academic preparation and motivation
• A minimum number of transferable credits from an accredited school
• Completion of specific undergraduate courses
• Life experience and work or professional activities

While degree completion programs may not be a viable option if you have minimal credits and multiple courses with less than a C average, it is worth checking into the transfer policy of schools offering these programs to see if you qualify.

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Your Family Can Tell That Something Seems ~off~

They start asking you pointed questions on the phone, or they sense some kind of shift when you come home for a weekend or during a break. Whenever you talk about school with them, you’re either feeling like you’re trying to fill up space in the conversation, or stuck in awkward silences that you’re not quite sure how to remedy. Often your family will start to get a sense that something’s not quite right before you do so listen to them if they bring it up, even if it’s not something you want to hear.

I Failed A Few Classes

If you have failed a few of your classes but still want to transfer schools, it may feel like you are facing an uphill battle. However, dont lose hope!

There are many reasons that students fail classes, and it doesnt mean that you arent smart or capable of completing your education. If you are willing to spend a little more time at your current institution, consider retaking your failed course and give it everything you have to earn a better grade. Most schools also offer tutoring programs to help students struggling in classes. Although a failed class will still appear on your transcripts, if you pass the course a second time with a higher grade the previous F will no longer be factored into your GPA making transferring schools much easier!

Another viable option for those who have failed general education classes is to consider taking a CLEP test. While most schools accept CLEP, be sure to check into the specific policies of your desired school. If you pass the CLEP test, you can then receive credit for that course at your new university. For those who want to avoid losing credit for failed classes during a transfer, this can be a great opportunity for a second chance.

Elizabeth Abner

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Transferring Colleges After 1 Year

Its worth adding a quick snippet in if you find yourself in this unique situation. If you are transferring colleges after one semester or one year, your high school GPA is going to be much more important than if you transfer later on in your college career.

Your transfer colleges, in this case, will likely align closely in competitiveness with your list of colleges in high school.

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.

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Which Schools Have The Highest Transfer Acceptance Rates

Planning to transfer colleges is much like planning to attend a four-year school straight out of high school. You should develop a list of potential colleges to transfer to so that you can attend the school that best suits your needsand having a variety of schools with different transfer acceptance rates is a great way to do that.

Because there used to be some stigma that transfer students weren’t ready for a four-year education, there’s sometimes an assumption that transferring prevents you from getting into good schools.

Though many Ivy League colleges do have extremely limited transfer programs, there are still many top universities that readily accept transfer applications. In fact, one of them is both a top-ranked school and one of the biggest accepters of transfer students.

The majority of college applicants are high school seniors, and most of the college application advice out there is aimed at them. But what do you do if you don’t fall into this narrow category? Our eBook on how to prepare for and apply to college as a nontraditional student will walk you through everything you need to know, from the coursework you should have under your belt to how to get letters of recommendation when you’re not a high school senior.

Read on to find out which schools accept the most students and what acceptance rates the top schools have!