College Transfer Admission Rates
Many media outlets report first-year admission rates at top universities in the country. In some cases, as in the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” report, those statistics are even factored into the rankings. The more students a college excludes, the better it must be, right? (Wrong!)
However, transfer admissions rates remain a bit of a mystery. We don’t see big news organizations incorporating those rates into their rankings or reports. Is it due to a lack of interest? Lack of transparency? Lack of consistency?
It’s true that transfer admission rates can vary by year. Some colleges save room specifically for transfer students each year, making their admission rates easy to track. However, colleges that don’t intentionally set aside room for transfers might admit only a few students when the student population is fully present, but they might admit hundreds of students during a year when many have deferred admission, transferred out, or are participating in study abroad.
Still, the data is available if you know where to look and how to interpret the numbers. I’ve recently begun compiling transfer admission rates for hundreds of colleges on my website.
Some of the statistics may surprise you! For example, did you know that Vanderbilt admitted 17% of transfer applicants last year? Meanwhile. Bates College only admitted 5% – a total of 8 students. So is Vanderbilt easier to get into as a transfer? Well, last year it was!
Go ahead, explore the numbers. And if you appreciate my work and want to see more transfer data, please follow, subscribe, and share! Your support helps me share this important information with a wider audience!
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FAQ
Is it easier to get in as a transfer?
It depends on the school! Some schools, like USC, doubled the acceptance rate of transfer admissions compared to their first year admissions. Other schools only accept transfer admissions to fill a student population, so if everyone is present, they may accept just a handful of transfer students.
How do I find transfer acceptance rates?
We’ve compiled a free resource that shows transfer acceptance rates at over 400 popular colleges! https://transfersavvy.com/transfer-admission-rates/
Why do transfer admission rates vary from year to year?
If a school doesn’t save specific room for transfer students each year, they might accept hundreds of students one year when lots of students have transferred out or deferred admission, but accept only a handful in a year where everyone remains enrolled.
Disclaimer: The data and statistics provided are compiled by humans and are based on available information at the time of writing. These numbers are subject to change.
