Transferring between colleges can be a very difficult process. Some students go to community college and decide to transfer to a four-year school to save money, while others simply find that their current school doesn’t fit with their desires and need a change.
Regardless of why you are transferring between schools, you will have to do a lot of work to successfully find a school that fits your needs and then transfer there. Below, we’ll discuss a few helpful tips for transferring between colleges and for making the process as easy as possible. Also, for the purposes of this article, our advice will assume that you are either transferring from community college to a 4-year university, or from 4-year school to 4-year school at the undergraduate level.
Visit colleges, do your research
Transferring between colleges is a big decision that should not be made lightly. Therefore, it is important that you do your due diligence when hunting for new schools. A good first step is to research academic programs and campus life at your new target school to determine if the school is a good fit for you. Once you’ve found a school you like, visit campus and go on a tour if possible.
Prior acceptances
In the past, if you have received an acceptance letter from a school and did not decide to go there, you can ask f you can be granted prior acceptance to the school. Some will make you reapply and some won’t, this entirely depends on the school in question. It is a good thing to check if you have already been accepted at the school in the past because, if it works, the process will be much easier for you.
Applications and requirements
The next step after selecting a school is to figure out all of the logistics for applying and transferring your credits. You will want to determine what sort of applications you will need to fill out, as well as any GPA or credit requirements. There may also be certain times during the year during which applications are accepted. It is important to ascertain these details as early as you can, as you might encounter setbacks by not meeting some form of prerequisite. Visiting an academic advisor at your current school will make this researching and planning phase much easier.
Have you ever transferred between colleges? If so, feel free to share any advice in the comments section below.
Good luck!
