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For students not from the United States, the idea of transferring schools might be entirely new.
Transferring schools can often be an unforeseen decision that a student makes during their time in university for any number of reasons, from big life changes to wanting to transfer to a school that is more in line with what a student is looking for.
National transfer rates based on a study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that 37% of students between the years 2008 to 2014 transferred at least once.
In this article, we’re going to walk you through what exactly transferring schools means, why students choose to transfer schools, and the general process of how to do it.
1. What does transferring schools mean?
2. Why do students transfer schools?
3. How do you go about transferring schools?
What it means to transfer schools is pretty straightforward! When a student makes the decision to transfer schools, they unenroll from their current school. Then, they enroll in a new university.
Transferring schools is fairly common in the United States. Students can apply to colleges that might have previously rejected them, or entirely new schools. In most cases, transfer students will also be eligible to apply for financial aid.
There are a number of reasons why students might choose to transfer from one school to another. According to data collected by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 59.2% of students transferred from a two year institution to a four year institution.
In that case, students have most likely completed their Associate’s degree and are then moving onto their undergraduate studies. But that is only one reason as to why a student might be transferring schools.
Other large reasons why students might transfer schools include:
Now that we’ve looked at what transferring is and why students do it, let’s take a look at the basic steps of how to transfer schools.
If you’re looking to transfer schools, be sure to get in touch with the appropriate department at your current school to see if there are any specific steps that you might need to take.
Now that you have a better idea of just what it means to transfer schools and the basics of what that means, if you ever need to consider it yourself you’ll be a little more prepared.
And keep in mind that transferring schools can be stressful, no matter the reason. Taking the time to get everything in order and managing your stress at the same time can help the process go a little more smoothly.
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Paige Lyman is a freelance writer and journalist who writes in the pop-culture space.