Transfer acceptance rates: you CAN get into a competitive school as a transfer student.
The thought of transferring alone can be daunting, but transferring into a selective institution adds a whole new level of fear. It’s the college admissions process all over again, but even harder, right?
Happily, I can say that you are wrong!
There are a number of selective colleges actually accept more transfer students than incoming freshmen. Totally bizarre, right?
But… when you think about it, it’s not really.
That isn’t to say it’s going to be easy to get into these selective and very selective schools, but, in some cases, your chances are nearly doubled for acceptance as a transfer than they were as a freshman.
All this is to say that you definitely shouldn’t count anything out when it comes to transferring—some institutions will certainly surprise you.
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 17%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 35.4%
Tags: Selective, $, Public, Large, 29,000+
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is a great option for transfer students looking for a selective, large institution. They require a minimum of 30 credits to transfer or else apply as a brand-new incoming freshman. They allow for a max of 64 credits from a 2-year institution and 75 from a 4-year institution.
University of Virginia Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 20%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 37%
Tags: Public, Small City, Medium, 24,000+ Students, Can be Expensive
The University of Virginia transfer GPA requirement is 2.0, but the average accepted student has a 3.5 GPA. Transfer must have a minimum of 9 credits to transfer and a maximum of 60. To earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia, they require at least 60 credits to be completed on the UVA campus.
They accept transfers in both the Fall and Spring, with many more being accepted for the Fall semester.
Vanderbilt University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 6.3%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 25%
Tags: Private, Very Selective, $$$, Medium, 13,000+ Students
Students interested in transferring to Vanderbilt University need to have completed at least 12 credits at another institution and must spend four semesters (60 credits) at Vanderbilt. Preference is given to students wishing to attend full time and students are required to live on campus.
University of Southern California Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 22%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 25%
Tags: Private, $$$, Research, Massive, 45,000+ Students, NCAA, Urban Campus
The University of Southern California accepts both sophomore and junior transfer students. The average GPA accepted is 3.7. USC has no transfer credit minimum, but if you’re coming in with fewer than 30 credits completed, they’ll base the decision more heavily on high school performance.
Students must complete 64 credits to graduate from USC.
Emory University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 8.4%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 24.62%
Tags: Selective, $$$, Private, Research, Medium, 15,000+ Students, Globally Ranked, Nationally Ranked
Emory University accepts about a quarter of applicants who apply as transfer students. They require a minimum of 28 credits (one full year of coursework) before enrolling and will accept as many as 62 credits from another institution.
If you’ve completed two full semesters or three-quarters of college, you can self-report your SAT or ACT scores, bypassing having to pay to send your test results.
The only caveat with Emory is that Oxford College and Goizueta Business School do not accept transfer students at all. The Oxford College is a 2-year institution within Emory, making it an unlikely place to transfer. The Goizueta Business School, however, is home to the Bachelor of Business Administration, which includes hot-topic majors like accounting and marketing. You must complete at least two full semesters at Emory to apply at the Goizueta Business School, so keep that in mind when planning out your transfer.
University of California-Los Angeles Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 8.8%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 24.09%
Tags: Very Selective, $$$, Large, Public, Research, Public Ivy, Nationally Ranked, Globally Ranked, 45,000+ Students
On top of accepting a hefty number of transfer students each year, they have a pretty good outlook on graduation. Just about 90% of transfer students earn a degree within four years.
Transfer students are only accepted for the fall term and must have junior-level status, meaning that they must have earned 60 credits elsewhere.
University of California-Berkley Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 11%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 22.4%
Tags: Very Selective, $$$, Large, Public, Research, Public Ivy, Nationally Ranked, Globally Ranked, 43,000+ Students
Much like its sister school, the University of California-Berkeley requires students to have junior standing and also offers better odds for students applying as transfer students. They require a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, but some colleges have different requirements, so be sure to confirm with the appropriate department!
University Notre Dame Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 12%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 22.78%
Tags: Private, $$$, Research, Medium, 12,000+ Students, Suburban, Nationally Ranked, NCAA Division I, Catholic
Students interested in transferring to the University of Notre Dame need to have completed at least 27 credits and one year at another institution. Admissions are competitive, and the average GPA of accepted students is 3.75.
Washington University in St. Louis Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 11%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 20%
Tags: Private, $$$, Medium, 15,000+ Students, Urban, Nationally Ranked, Internationally Ranked, NCAA Division III
Washington University in St. Louis is a selective school where transfer applications are recommended to have no less than a 3.5 GPA. Each department at UW-St. Louis has different requirements for its transfer students, but in most cases, students can transfer up to 60 credits.
No credit is given for CLEP exams, standard-level IB exams, correspondence/online courses, or departmental placement exams given by another institution.
Cornell University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 7%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 17%
Tags: Private, $$$, NCAA Division I, Large, 24,000+ Students, Nationally Ranked
Transfer application requirements at Cornell University vary between departments, so be sure to check the individual requirements. Cornell University is a competitive liberal arts institution.
John Hopkins University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 6.5%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 9.63%
Tags: Private, $$$, Large, 26,000+ Students, NCAA Division I, Nationally Ranked, Globally Ranked
Students interested in transferring to Johns Hopkins University are allowed to transfer up to 60 credit hours as long as they complete 60 credits at Johns Hopkins, as well. Transfers are accepted during the sophomore and junior years, in the fall only. They don’t require standardized test scores but do want high school transcripts.
When transferring to Johns Hopkins, students apply directly to their desired major. The only major that does not accept transfer students is Biomedical Engineering. Students transferring in with one year of college experience are required to live on campus. Students with two years of previous college will be offered off-campus housing.
Tufts University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 9.5%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 14.7%
Tags: Private, $$$, 11,000+ Students, Medium, Urban, Nationally Ranked
At Tufts University, students can transfer into the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Transfer students need to have completed at least one year of college study before applying.
Tufts’ transfer application allows students to self-report scores and only submit official copies once they’ve been accepted. Students must be fully enrolled at Tufts for two years to receive a Tufts degree.
Rice University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 8.7%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 11.4%
Tags: Private, $$$, Research, Medium, 7,000+ Students, Urban, NCAA Division I
Rice University transfer applications must have completed at least 12 hours of college study with a cumulative 3.2 GPA before applying. Students are required to submit their high school transcripts as well as official standardized test scores.
Northwestern University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 9%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 15.27%
Tags: Private, $$$, Small City, NCAA Division I, Medium, 21,000+ Students
Northwestern University accepts transfer students who have completed at least one year (24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours) before enrolling at Northwestern. Students are required to submit official high school and university transcripts.
To earn a Northwestern University Degree, students must be enrolled for six quarters with a full-time course load. Housing is available to transfer students but isn’t guaranteed. Note that the School of Communication and Bienen School of Music must be contacted separately regarding transferring.
Columbia University Transfer Acceptance Rate
Freshman Acceptance Rate: 3.73%
Transfer Acceptance Rate: 14.7%
Tags: Private, $$$$, Ivy League, Urban Campus Large, 33,000+ Students, NCAA Division I
Columbia University accepts transfer students into Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. Students must submit transcripts from both high school and college but may self-report their standardized test scores.
