Though many schools post their transfer application deadline as some time around March 1, that is not the case with all schools. We’ll look at three ways in which some colleges/universities are open to accepting transfer applications at a later time.
1. Deadlines are later for spring enrollment
People who want to transfer into say, NYU, in the fall of their sophomore/junior year must submit their applications by April 1st, which is later than the standard March 1st deadline. However, students that want to transfer the spring semester of their sophomore year have until November 1st, which means a lot more time than the April 1st deadline. Here’s the NYU transfer applicant info page: http://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/applying-for-admission/transfer-applicants/important-transfer-dates.html
To browse a list of the many other schools that admit transfer students in the spring term, copy and paste this into the Google search box:
site:collegesearch.collegeboard.com Terms in which transfers may enroll: Fall, Spring
You’ll get a list of results that look like the image at the top of this post.
Effectively, you’re searching through the list of colleges featured on Collegeboard.com and extracting the colleges/universities that admit transfers in the spring.
2. Many schools have rolling transfer admission
That’s good news for those who need a late start on a second chance. These schools are happy to consider your application as long as space permits. While submitting your application ASAP is the best option, it’s never really too late to apply to transfer. Baylor University, DePaul University, and many other colleges/universities have rolling transfer admission. Similar to the above technique, to browse a list of such schools use Google to search:
site:collegesearch.collegeboard.com Rolling admission for transfer students
3. Some schools still have space for both freshmen and transfers
For one reason or another, these schools have spots that have yet to be filled. Check out the below list compiled by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Your best-fit school might just be waiting for you!
The punchline of today’s post: if there’s a will, there’s a way, and it’s never really too late!
Update (11/5/10): We just added a table that goes through the transfer application deadlines (for both fall and spring entry, if applicable) for some of the top schools in the US (the Top 50 National Universities according to US News). We also threw in whether or not the college uses the common application and the application fee for each college (though bear in mind all the colleges listed accept fee waivers for financial hardship). Check the table out by clicking here or by hovering over the “Stats” tab at the top of the page and clicking on the last option in the dropdown menu.
Photo by Jeremy Huang on Unsplash