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Health & Fitness

When Transferring to a New College

There are many reasons why a student may consider transferring to a new college.  Ravinia College Consultants have been working with an increasing number of students who are making a change for reasons such as finding a better fit, changing to a major not offered, or poor initial college performance.  We listen carefully to help the student understand what didn’t work with the first school, how to best match the student’s current academic and social needs to find colleges that best fit them today and where most importantly, they can successfully earn their degree.

Transfer students typically bring a deeper understanding of college demands, along with a clear vision of themselves as a student, than first-time college students.  Colleges and universities appreciate this; many value the maturity and leadership skills that transfer students can add to their campuses.  However, transfer admission does work a little differently than it does for students who matriculate directly from high school. For example, admission criteria, transfer credit, deadlines, and housing varies with each institution.

1.     Many colleges require high school transcripts and standardized test scores if you’ve earned 30 or fewer semester hours of college credit, though college grades are still most important.

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2.     Merit money can be unavailable or diminished for transfer students.

3.     Colleges have limits on the number of transfers they take.

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4.     Transfer student application dates are very different, compared to the deadlines for high school students.  Be sure to check the school’s website or call their admission office.

5.     The number of credits that transfer to the new institution will be analyzed by each school and can vary; most schools only give credit for grades of C or better.  Schools have a cap on the overall number of credits they will accept from another institution.

6.     The receiving college may or may not include grades from the previous institution on the newly generated transcript.  In other words, they may recalculate a new GPA, even when accepting course credit.  Each college sets their own policy.

7.     Housing may or may not be available.

It’s critical that students looking to transfer explain in an essay why they are transferring and why “college X” is the best fit for them. 

For help with this and more, contact us at raviniacollegeconsulting.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

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