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ENTITY shares what you need to know before transfer college.

Deciding to leave your current school is a challenging decision that many college students make each year. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 37.2% of students transferred schools between 2008 and 2014. Despite such a large number of students transferring each year, there is still a shroud of mystery surrounding the transfer application process. Below is a list of things to know, tips, and advice, on what to expect from the transfer process, taken from the author’s own experience transferring universities.

1. Your advisor most likely will not know more than you do

This is the first thing you will learn when you are applying to transfer, and it is also one of the hardest obstacles you will have to overcome. Especially if your advisor is young or new to teaching, they very likely will not know how to help you. It’s a much different climate from high school where guidance counselors are hands on in every step of the application process; your academic advisor is a crucial part of your transfer application process (as you need them to fill out certain paperwork and write you a letter of recommendation) but they will likely know very little about it. You’ll probably find yourself guiding your advisor on how to help you, instead of your advisor guiding you on how to navigate the complicated world of transfer applications. This is why it’s important to…

2. Connect with admissions counselors

Each school has a set of admissions counselors, and many schools will often have one (or many) specifically for transfer students. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the admissions office early on in the process. The admissions counsellors are far more familiar with the transfer process than you are, and applying to transfer schools is much more complicated and confusing than applying to college was when you were in high school. Their job is to be able to help you along with every step of the process, so if you’re ever unsure about anything or simply feeling lost or confused, don’t be afraid to give them a phone call or an e-mail.

3. Pick a school that’s right for you

This is the most important and most obvious step, but once you’ve decided you’d like to transfer, you need to know where you want to go. You may want to transfer because you want to transfer to a specific school, but if you’re unsure of what school you’d like to go to and you’d simply like to leave because you want to leave your school, you need to do your research. Think back to the schools you applied to – or regret not applying to – when you were in high school; or think of all the reasons you’d like to leave your school and search for the opposite of that. Remember that no school is perfect, and keep your options open. If you’re searching for universities while you’re still in school, that can make visiting the campus difficult, so be sure to do as much research as possible before you decide to apply. On this note, it’s important to…

4. Decide where you’d like to transfer to early on 

If you even have a small, off-hand, back-of-your-mind thought that you’d like to transfer, you need to investigate that immediately. The transferring process takes a long time, so you need to decide as early as possible whether you’d actually like to transfer and if so, where you’d like to go. Simply applying and going through the motions of enrolling at a school once more can take a long time (remember your senior year of high school? When you applied in October but enrolled in June? The transfer process can sometimes take longer than that), so you need to be absolutely certain and you have to know what you want. There is no time to waste. If you’re unsure if you’d like to transfer, sit down and talk it out with someone you trust. What are the benefits of staying? What are the benefits of leaving? These are the questions you need to ask yourself.

5. Read every section of the school’s website closely 

Once you’ve decided you’d like to transfer, and you know where you’d like to apply, it’s time to do your research on the school. Many schools have entire sections of their websites dedicated to transfer applicants, and it’s very important that you read closely every single word the school has printed for transfer applicants. It’s a time-consuming, meticulous process, so you need to be able to fully digest and understand what needs to be done. How many recommendations does the school need? Do they take the Common Application or do they have their own, personal application? When is the deadline? Do you need to submit a portfolio, or high school transcripts, or your SAT scores? These are all questions (and more) the school’s website should contain the answers to, and if not, reach out to the admissions office via phone or e-mail to clarify.

6. Learn the school’s admission requirements

What each school requires will vary from school to school; this is important if you are applying to more than one school. Some schools may require extra effort than others. Some need different transcripts or paperwork or scores of some sort. This is why it is so important to educate yourself fully on the school’s requirements for transfer admission. Generally, any paperwork the school requires of you will be linked to on their website and on the Common Application website (if they take the Common Application). However, the Common Application merely lists all paperwork for transfer students, so you have to check with the school (it should be listed on their website) for what they require and what they don’t. Don’t assume that because one school doesn’t need something, the others don’t too. Don’t do more than you have to, but don’t do any less, either.

7. Organize: memorize and write down important dates

This is a very crucial tip that seems so small and almost obvious, but is easily forgettable. Log every single due date in a calendar that you have regular access to; your phone calendar will probably do the trick, and set a reminder for a week or so before so that you don’t forget. Do everything in your power not to forget and miss the deadlines. Many schools will list their deadlines online, but sometimes they may not be updated for the current academic year, so don’t hesitate to reach out and ask what the deadlines for this year are.

8. Don’t forget financial aid!

Financial aid is a crucial part of the application process, but can get lost in the background while you’re running around writing essays and asking professors to write recommendations and fill out paperwork. As soon as you’ve decided to apply to a school you should look up their guidelines for financial aid for transfer students. The deadlines are often much different than the deadlines for freshman applicants so it’s very important that you check; they can be as early as February 1st or as late as April or May. Each school has different requirements as well. Some schools may only require the FAFSA, but some may require the CSS Profile, or College Scholarship Service Profile, that is provided through the College Board (which does cost a fee to send), and some may have state specific tuition programs you can apply to, given you are from that state, such as the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or California Cal Grant program. It’s important to know what each school needs and to send it to them as soon as possible.

9. If you’re applying for financial aid – apply for the fall semester

This is something some schools will admit outright, while with others it’s merely an unspoken rule, but generally, if you’re seeking need-based financial aid, you should apply for the fall semester. Schools typically make more funds available for fall semester transfer students than they do for spring semester transfer students. Applying in the fall also has the added benefit of giving you longer to work on your application and get everything you need together. If you are not seeking financial aid or are only seeking federal and state financial aid, then you are free to apply for either the fall or spring semester.

10. You can apply for fee waivers through NACAC

Though the Common Application has a spot where you can indicate you’d like a fee waiver, this does not actually count as a fee waiver. It merely only alerts the school that you will be requesting one, but you still have to send your fee waiver request form. Generally, if you are eligible for the federal Pell Grant, you are eligible for a fee waiver. The National Association for College Admission Counseling, or NACAC, provides fee waiver forms through their website, which you can print off and mail to the school. Some schools will accept faxed or e-mailed documents, though it is always good to double check before you do so.

11. Apply for outside scholarships

This is very important. If you’re applying to transfer due to financial reasons, it’s important to keep in mind the rising cost of higher education. Some schools offer transfer students less financial aid than they do incoming freshmen, so it’s important to apply for outside, private scholarships and grants to cover the rest of the cost.

12. Choose professors carefully for recommendations

When you’re asking professors for letters of recommendation, you should choose those who have gotten to know your character and your academic work during the time you’ve been at the school. If you’re applying for the spring semester of your freshman year this can be difficult, but you want to pick a professor who will be able to write the best recommendation possible for you. It probably isn’t a good idea to ask the professor whose eight thirty am class you always slept through. Ask a professor who you’ve connected with in some way. These connections will last you long past your time at the school, even if you end up leaving, and they will often be touched that you asked them.

13. Don’t trash your school in your personal essay

There will generally always be an essay question asking why you’d like to apply to transfer. When you’re answering this question, it’s important not to speak too negatively about the school you currently attend. It merely makes you look negative and cynical, and it focuses too much on the past you have with your school, instead of the future you could have with the school you’re applying to. You have to be able to strike a nice balance of writing about things you’re not getting from your education at the moment and writing about things you’d like to receive from your education.

14. Schools won’t let you know you’ve been admitted until May/June

Generally, a school won’t notify you of their admissions decision until sometime in May or June, and the deposit will generally be due within a couple of weeks of receiving your admissions notice. This doesn’t leave you with a lot of time to work or make a decision, so you have to think quickly but carefully. If you’ve applied to more than one school, consider all of your options. Consider the financial aid packages and every aspect of the offer the school has made you before you commit to a decision.

15. Don’t withdraw from your school until you’re absolutely certain you’re transferring

Wait until the very last moment to withdraw from your current school. Don’t withdraw until you are absolutely certain that you will be attending another school the next semester, otherwise if you don’t end up transferring, you will end up with nowhere left to go the next semester! This may seem obvious, but you may feel pressured by time constraints to withdraw before you’ve made your decision to commit to another school. The spring semester for many schools ends in May, around the same time you may start to receive your admissions decisions. You may not even receive your decisions until after you’ve left the school! Don’t let this pressure you into withdrawing just yet, because you may regret it later on. If you don’t live near the school you currently attend and leave campus one semester unsure if you’ll be returning the next, don’t withdraw just yet. You may feel that you need to withdraw before you leave campus because you won’t have a chance once you’ve left, but once you’ve decided you’ll be leaving you can always contact your school and have them mail you whatever paperwork they may need from you.

16. Pace yourself

Transferring is a long, complicated, confusing process. Don’t rush things; you want to present the best version of yourself to every school you’re applying to. At the same time, however, transferring is very much time sensitive, so you have to be aware of all of your deadlines and make sure you don’t take too long to give the school what they need, or you may regret it later on. Simply be careful; you don’t want to rush and miss something or make a mistake, but you don’t want to take too much time and miss something else, too.

If you are considering transferring and seek any more guidance or the assistance of a professional, reach out to the admissions counsellors to the school you’re applying to, or check out the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)’s website.

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