Decoding Transfer Admissions

Unhappy with the extreme winter on the east coast? Want to shift to a college with a smaller cohort? Keen to pursue a major offered by another university? Don’t fret. You can transfer to a university of your choice in second or third year of college. Even former US President Barack Obama transferred from Occidental College to Columbia University as a junior. 

In the fall of 2014, University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of California-Berkeley (UCB) admitted a whopping 3167 and 2187 transfer students respectively, as per the US News & World Report’s National Universities List published by Washington Post. University of Southern California and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor were not far behind, with over 1000 transfer students admitted by each. The numbers were higher in state universities. Although not specified, it is a well-known fact that every year a large number of international students seek transfers, either between US institutions or from a non-US to a US college. The process of transfer is different in each of the aforementioned situations with transfer of credits from one university or college to another being of primary importance. 

Transfer within the US

Every year, a large number of students apply to the US for their undergraduate education.In the course of their studies, they seek transfers triggered by a host of reasons. 

Often, they have to compromise on either the program of study or ranking of university, owing to average academics and low standardized test scores. As their performance in the freshman year improves, they aspire to complete their remaining years in comparatively higher ranked universities or in a university that offers a major of their choice. On the contrary, despite being accepted into top universities, some students are unable to fit in with the culture and environment of a particular institution. Some of them also fail to adapt to geographical conditions such as climate and location.  Finance is another factor that drives the decision to transfer – be it scholarship opportunities from other universities or financial constraints.

Once the decision to transfer is confirmed, the process ahead entails establishing the right kind of communication with university officials, devising ways to best project one’s profile and analyzing reasons to frame one’s statement of intent for transfer.

Transfer from non US to US colleges

The reasons to transfer from a non US to a US college can be many. One of the common reasons is the liberal arts system of education in the US that allows one to study a diverse combination of completely unrelated subjects as opposed to the specific stream of study in other countries. It is imperative for the student seeking the transfer to ensure that the credits secured in one university are accepted in the other, as the grading system is unique to each country and university. It is important to note that such transfer cases are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and is at the discretion of each individual university. Moreover, since US requires standardized test scores, unlike other countries, students need to appear for and submit either the SAT or the ACT score, along with other requirements as specified by the target university. 

Gap Year Student

Students in India often arrive at the decision to apply to US universities at a time when the application period has already closed for the given year. Instead of abandoning their desire to pursue their undergraduate education in the US, they can apply as ‘Gap’ year students. This essentially means that they apply for the Fall intake of the following year as a ‘freshman’. Therefore, in the intervening months, the student needs to work on strengthening different aspects of his or her profile and application. In addition to the regular application documents, the student also needs to write a statement explaining the reasons behind dropping a year and demonstrating how he or she has utilized the time in hand. 

On a concluding note, transfer cases are difficult and need to be handled with care and caution. While state universities accept transfer students in large numbers, top-ranked and niche private universities are very selective with acceptance rates as low as 1%. It is necessary for students to identify their strengths and portray the same in their transfer applications and statements in the best possible and powerful manner. 

This article was originally published by The Economic Times on 20th February 2022.