Deciding which college to attend is a big decision that requires careful assessment of your personal and professional goals. It’s also important to consider factors like whether to attend in person or online, what major to study and how to fit college into your busy life. But what if you’ve already enrolled in a college program and want to transfer to another school after a few semesters? If you find yourself feeling unsatisfied with the school or academic program you’re currently enrolled in, transferring to another college may be an option worth exploring. If you’re equipped with an understanding of how to transfer colleges, you’ll be better prepared to make the best decision when, or if, the time comes to make the move.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to transfer colleges and the steps involved in planning your transfer.

Students transfer colleges for a number of reasons. Some transfers take place because a student is transitioning from a community college to a four-year university with the goal of completing a bachelor’s degree program.

For students attending college in person, simple geography might be the issue. A student may feel like there are too many miles separating them from the security and familiarity of home. Maybe things at home have changed, requiring the student to balance their education with caregiver responsibilities. In cases like these, transferring to another college that better fits your needs may be the best option. Another option is to transfer from an exclusively in-person college experience to online learning.

Other factors might be the cost of tuition, housing and other expenses, or a general lack of satisfaction with the school students have chosen.

Another reason is career focused. Students who are reapproaching their professional goals may be making a change in their major or degree specialization. Whatever the reason, it’s a big decision involving several important considerations.

Before discussing how to transfer credits from one college to another, let’s talk about how you’ll select your new school. How do you pick the right one? You want to be sure your decision is made thoughtfully and in a confident, well-informed manner, considering factors like transfer credits, tuition cost, the university culture and others based on your personal preferences.

It’s a good idea to explore your transfer school or schools in the same way you approached your first-time search – by taking virtual or in-person tours and reaching out to discover support services schools may offer to transfer students.

Online learners and in-person students will have some different considerations. Online students can concentrate their decision-making on coursework, tuition cost and diversity, while on-campus students may consider the logistics and expense of relocation, athletics and student diversity.

Here are a few of the most important considerations:

Your transfer should begin with a solid plan. But before making a plan, it might be a good idea to take stock of your current situation and see if you can resolve the challenges that are making you consider transferring. If this isn’t an option, meeting with an advisor will be the first step in the transfer process.

Reach out to an academic advisor or transfer staff at your current school. College or student support advisors can be a great help, providing information about how to transfer college credits and about financial aid, and helping you navigate to a program and school that fit better with your professional goals. If you haven’t already made your decision about a new school, this may also include introducing you to transfer-friendly institutions where the process may be easier.

Credit transfer policies vary widely among institutions, so it’s crucial that you take this step very seriously. Reach out to admissions advisors and investigate the new school’s transfer credit evaluation. At DeVry University, Transfer Guides and established agreements with community colleges, independent 2-year institutions, technical schools and online course providers help transfer applicants get a handle on which earned college credits may transfer into DeVry programs.

Your transfer application process will be similar to the application process of a first-year college student. But keep in mind that every school is different. Review the application process and its requirements very carefully so you don’t miss anything, and reach out to a member of the admission staff at the new institution with any questions. Even though you have some college experience under your belt at this point, you still have to submit high school and college transcripts.

A specific program at an institution may be more selective. If a pact called an articulation agreement is in place between your current school and the new one, the process could be much simpler. An example of this is a community college having agreements in place with multiple four-year universities guaranteeing admission to students who successfully complete the community college’s programs.

There are several ways you may be able to get college credit for your learning acquired outside the classroom. At DeVry, credit for prior learning credit may help you graduate sooner by leveraging various forms of previous education, professional training and non-classroom learning. These include military coursework and training, professional certifications and training and other forms of prior learning. A DeVry admissions representative can help you understand your eligibility for these important credits.

Unlike some of your college credits, the financial aid package you received from your current school will not transfer to your new one. You’ll need to fill out and resubmit the FAFSA®. This may also be a good time to conduct a thorough evaluation of your finances to see if you can make this move affordably.

Transferring doesn’t mean you’ll be losing financial aid. But since each institution calculates aid packages differently, and may have different policies and deadlines for funding, you should start early and make sure you enter the school code for every institution on your list to be sure you get aid package decisions from all of them. 

At DeVry, eligible transfer students with qualifying transfer credits enrolling in associate and bachelor’s degree programs can receive up to $7,168* in scholarship savings with our Future-Ready Transfer Scholarships.

At DeVry, we understand how life can change. If you’re returning to school after a break, preparing to change careers or planning to complete your degree so you can work to advance in the career you already love, we can help. There are several ways you may be able to apply transfer credits earned at another school or other prior learning credit to a DeVry program in business, technology or healthcare. Classes start soon!