Transfer Acceptance Rates at Four-Year Schools

By

Jessica Bryant

Published on October 11, 2024

Edited by

Cameren Boatner

• Fact-checked by Marley Rose

Learn more about our editorial process

Transfer acceptance rates at four-year colleges can range from less than 1% at Ivy League universities to more than 80% at some public institutions.

Credit: Unaihuiziphotography / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Choosing to transfer to a new college or university is often a difficult decision. Students have countless reasons for transferring, from needing more affordable options to seeking bigger academic challenges.

Though transfer rates are on the rise at four-year institutions in the U.S.^{Note Reference [1]}, transfer acceptance rates always vary greatly by institution type.

We analyzed the most recently available data from 50 of the largest and most selective four-year colleges in the U.S. to reveal where students may have the best chances of admission.

Colleges With the Highest Transfer Acceptance Rates

The top 10 schools with the highest transfer acceptance rates admitted roughly 60% or more of their transfer applicants in 2023. Each of these schools is a large, public institution serving more than 45,000 students.

Though these schools may seem easier to transfer into than others because of these rates, each institution still sets high academic standards for its students, requiring at least a 2.5 grade point average on all previous college coursework for transfer acceptance.

Transfer Acceptance Rates at Ivy League Universities

At Ivy League institutions, the average transfer acceptance rate during the fall 2023 academic term was just 10%. Columbia University had the highest transfer acceptance rate at more than 50%, while Harvard University admitted less than 1% of transfer applicants last year.

Transfer Acceptance Rates at Selective Institutions

It’s not just Ivy League schools that keep their transfer rates low. Some selective private and public institutions admitted less than 1 in 4 transfer applicants last fall.

Note: Schools marked with an asterisk (*) in the following table show most recently available data from the 2022-2023 academic year.

At schools like USC and UC Berkeley where transfer acceptance rates are around 25%, students looking to gain admission may find it much easier to transfer in than to be accepted as first-year applicants. Both of these schools have a first-year acceptance rate of less than 12%.^{Note Reference [2], Note Reference [3]}

Similarly, UCLA’s transfer acceptance rate in 2023 was 26% while its first-year acceptance rate was just under 9%.^{Note Reference [4]}

And at NYU, the difference in admission rates is even wider. During fall 2023, NYU’s transfer acceptance rate was just over 37%, while their first-year acceptance rate was just under 10% — a nearly 28 percentage point difference.^{Note Reference [5]}

Conversely, while MIT’s transfer acceptance rate was just 1.4% in 2022-2023, the institution had a first-year admission rate of about 4% that year. This means MIT’s first-year applicants have a slightly better shot at admission than hopeful transfer students.^{Note Reference [6]}

The Biggest Challenge to Transfer Acceptance

Though transfer acceptance rates can vary depending on school type, one thing most colleges have in common is space limitations.

At schools with high retention rates, like MIT and Rice^{Note Reference [7], Note Reference [8]}, there are a limited number of spots available for transfer students, making the transfer process highly competitive.

Some schools’ high transfer acceptance rates, like many institutions in the University of California system, might be due to guaranteed admissions programs for community college students. Even if the school seems easy to transfer to on the surface, students still might face competition.^{Note Reference [9]}

Additionally, it’s not always easy for students to ensure they meet all the eligibility requirements to transfer to a new institution.

Students interested in transferring should confirm that the credits they’ve already earned are transferable to the new school they hope to attend. They can also meet with an academic advisor to discuss what the process of transferring might look like.