Will ‘Trading Up’ In Transfer Admissions Be The ‘Hot New Thing’?
Now that May 1st is upon us, transfer admissions season is well underway.
As acceptance rates drop at popular public universities and more selective private institutions I had to wonder how many recent high school graduates, who did not get into their first-choice school would try again a year or two later.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse nearly 1.2 million college students changed schools in 2024.
Many went on structured pathways with the intent to transfer. Nearly 500,000 began their education at a two-year college; many of these schools have structured pathways with four-year schools. Georgia Tech is one of the more notable examples for Georgia residents. The numbers of transfers, according to the Clearinghouse, have grown for three consecutive years.
I realize that many graduating high school students are often asked to make difficult choices when they have been formally denied admission from one of their top choices. If they prepared a good list, they still end up at a school that is a fine fit. Every school on the list is important. Even the schools that are the most likely bets should have everything that the applicant wants from a school.
I’ve learned of too many students who chose a second-choice major to go to a school that they wanted, only to find that they couldn’t switch into their first choice and found access to other possible majors to be restricted. My view is that one gets into the first-choice major or has a fair exploratory path to try to get in.
When I report on schools I take freshman to sophomore year retention rates quite seriously. Retention rates are reflections of satisfaction with the freshman year experience.
But the rising numbers of transfers made me wonder: are there schools that have low yields that end up retaining over 90% of a freshman class?
I’ll pull one example that’s literally in my backyard: The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
- In 2018, TCNJ accepted 50% of all applicants.
- Of these students 22% decided to enroll. This is a fairly low yield rate but quite common among public colleges, even relatively selective ones.
- However, 93% of these freshmen returned for their sophomore year.
- 76% graduated in four years, excellent for a public college.
TCNJ did an excellent job at retaining and graduating this class, among the best for a public college in the country. More selective schools, public and private, will often yield better and retain very well. These will be the toughest places to transfer into as a sophomore or junior.
While transfer acceptance rates might not always be in the low single pr double digits they will still be quite low. When it comes to the most selective schools or selective academic departments, the odds are not in a transfer applicant’s favor.
What are some reasons that students want to tackle transfer admissions from one four-year college to another?
Here are some academic reasons.
- Change of major or program not available
- Stronger program/faculty fit elsewhere
- Dissatisfaction with academic environment
- Research or internship opportunities
Here are some personal and financial reasons
- Closer to home or family situation
- Cost savings or better scholarship offers
- Campus culture or environment concerns
- Health, safety, or personal circumstances
Can a prospective students succeed in transfer admissions into a first-choice school that they had been denied admission from high school?
It depends.
There are more selective colleges that will still ask for the high school academic record and test scores, at least for prospective sophomore transfers. So, it’s important to find out: when do the college achievements appear front and center on the transfer application? They usually do for a junior transfer.
There are “why us?” questions for applicants to answer when they’re thinking about changing schools. These require thought about the academics as well as other reasons to ask for a transfer. The attraction of a desired major that’s unavailable at the current school is certainly a possibility. So are extracurricular activities and career support built around the major.
However, the transcript needs to show that the transfer student can start the major as soon as they’re on campus for classes and be able to graduate on time. Getting into an impacted or restricted major is especially tough. However, less selective schools might be more lenient and give an incoming transfer student more time to complete the major and their degree. The more selective the school, the more likely it will be proud of a high four-year graduation rate.
Cultural and social fits are a different story.
Unless a prospective transfer has already visited a school or seen online student-produced testimonials they will not know, for sure, if they will be a better fit at another college. Even within similar schools, Historically Black colleges and large flagship public universities in the same region being two examples, the campus culture will not be the same because the locations and student bodies are different. So are the activities that bond the student body.
Transfer students should not only feel good about the academics and the brand recognition of the school; they should also be able to find their likely friends.
For example, a school that more dependent on the Greek system to drive the social life will have drawn students into houses from the spring of the freshman year through their sophomore year. Those students will have already decided on their social circles. Unless a junior transfer is already a member of a chapter at their current school, they will not arrive with that circle of friends waiting to greet them.
Given the greater use of waitlists by popular and more selective schools I expect to see a lot more students seeking to “trade up” than in the past.
However, even a perfect college transcript and early leadership opportunities do not make such transfer a sure thing. Unless one is willing to accept a pathway arrangement such as Georgia Tech’s there are few assurances that the effort to trade up will result in a positive outcome.
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