Hi,
I want to know please what is the most affordable university to which I can transfer. My only criteria are affordability and if I can get a scholarship or something to help with the tuition (I am poor beyond your imagination)
4.0’s are always nice but you’ll need to elaborate a bit more. Do you have an AA already? How many credits have you earned? A 4.0 at 15 credits is cool and all but a 4.0 at 64 credits with an AA will be much more competitive. What’s your major? Are you first generation, URM, nontraditional?
There are many generous colleges around the country who don’t take your financial need into consideration for admissions, but be warned that this is a luxury of the most selective colleges here.
The other category would be those who would meet your full financial need but also take it into consideration in admissions. You can trust me when I say this, you will undoubtedly face an extremely unpleasant time, as a student who is poor-beyond-our-imagination, being admitted to these types of colleges, and the kicker… Your list will compromise mostly of them.
As a fellow poor-but-not-that-poor CC transfer student who has been through the motions and had to eat a few buckets of dirt along the way, my advice to you would be to be realistic with yourself. Pls pls pls apply to your state colleges (since they typically offer transfer scholarships to in-state students, and have articulation agreements, which makes a transfer sooo much smoother). Once you have a few in-state options set, then start broadening your view. Search up “Need-Blind Admissions”, go to the Wikipedia page to see the list of the need-blind/need-aware meet-full-need colleges and start researching.
Be realistic with yourself.
Choose a few need-blind reaches, a couple of need-aware kinda-reaches. The rest on your list should be your in-state options.
@TransferStalker can give you some advice too, but you’ll need to provide us with more information.
Are you a viable candidate for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship? Talk with the transfer advisor at your CC about that. http://www.jkcf.org/scholarship-programs/undergraduate-transfer/
Are you a woman? If so, check through this group of colleges. Some are exceptionally friendly to CC transfers: http://www.womenscolleges.org/
Hello, @starlight111 . As @AGoodFloridian said, we need WAY more information as to where you stand academically. As @AGoodFloridian mentioned, you need to candidly look at your situation. While @AGoodFloridian covered the topic of need-blind admissions and school choice strategies quite well, I’d like to briefly talk about aid.
There are two significant types of aid. The first one is financial aid.
While schools may give you financial aid, the bulk of your financial aid will come from FAFSA. If you’re not familiar with FAFSA, it’s financial aid provided by the federal government. You require your most recent IRS tax returns, and your parents / guardians nearby to clear up any discrepancies, assuming you’re financially dependent. FAFSA will calculate your EFC (Expected Family Contribution). This is essentially how much can your family contribute to your education. The less your EFC is, the more aid you are eligible to receive. Once you officially receive your financial aid package, your package will be comprised of two types of financial aid-- loans, and scholarships / grants (i.e. free money you don’t have to pay back).
The federal government offers the absolute best student loans. Relatively low interest, partial loan forgiveness, and flexible payment plans (48 months, 56 months, etc.) make FAFSA student loans the ones you should take out, IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO.
The second significant type of aid is merit-based aid.
Merit-based aid is comprised of private scholarships, which are scholarships run by private companies / non-profits, and scholarships given by the school you end up transferring to.
A good resource for private scholarships is fastweb(dot)com, which matches scholarships out there for you based on your race / ethnicity, GPA, your major, etc. If you can, dedicate a weekend to searching scholarships. Simply googling around will yield results, I guarantee it.
Merit-based aid from institutions is the most unreliable form of aid. On top of the fact that you might receive an unpredictable amount, transfer students at some institutions may not receive aid. Even if they do give transfer students aid, freshman applicants are typically given priority. 'Tis a hard existence for us.
In any event, as I mentioned above, provide more information on your academic standing.
What’s your high school GPA?
Your SAT / ACT score?
What extracurricular activities have you been involved in?
How many credits have you completed in CC?
Your major?
Hooks? (First to attend college in your family? Minority?)
What state do you live in? (some states have great aid for their residents)
Hi, thank you very much for taking time and answering my question. Actually, I don’t have an AA yet, in fact nothing impressive just 35 credits. But I am willing to finish as close as I can to 4.0 since this is the only thing I can control. I have just arrived to the US, I work my tail off full time for wages that only an immigrant can accept (I guess you know the drill). So, yeah, I would really love a free tuition or something close to that. I surely intend to apply to two in-state universities (one because it offers the program I want, the other don’t but it’s my safety net, all the others are either freaking expensive, not offering a program, or located in small town with a slim opportunity to find a full time job that can pay for the rent and everything)
I agree with the state colleges, but maybe it would be best to stay where you are. You will get a good education, and I’m sure you’ll be fine!
Do you have a Green Card?
If you’re an international student – that changes everything. There is very, very little financial aid for international transfer students. Have you spoken to counselors at your community college? They may be your best bet for local information.
You may have to look far and wide to find a 4-year school willing to give an international student financial aid. If you’re a woman, look into Smith College. They’re known to be generous for high-achieving non-traditional students, and maybe you might fit that category.
@katliamom I second that, if you’re an international student, this road will definitely be steeper 
Smith and Mount Holyoke are known to be generous with their financial aid for international students (look into other women’s colleges too).
The only realistic advice at this point is to look into your state options. Don’t give up on the reaches but just be prepared.
Beyond admissions, once you are accepted and attend your new institution, you should always keep in touch with the admissions office, as well as submit you FAFSA every year to be eligible for future aid.
Actually, I have a green card. I have the permenant resident status. And no I am not a woman. The thing is that there is only one university in the state that offers the program I want, the others are either not offering the program altogether or located in very small towns ( it will be hard to find a job there since it’s the only way I can support myself)
Have you checked the net price calculators on the web sites of the state universities in the state where you live?
The state where you live is important, since some states’ state universities provide much better financial aid to in-state resident students than other states’ state universities. E.g. a California resident is much more likely to find transferring to a UC or CSU to be affordable than a Pennsylvania resident is likely to find transferring to a CSHE or PASSHE to be affordable.
Hello starlight: I work at a CC; the state you are in matters somewhat as does the CC you attend (due to individual agreements and partnerships). Definitely stop by your CC’s transfer center and make sure you are preparing for the college you want to transfer to; do they have a guaranteed agreement for admission? FINISH your AA degree at the CC. Most of the time, this fulfills GE requirements at the new college. Finally, contact the school you wish to attend and talk to someone (like the chair) in the dept. you want to major in and make sure you are taking any pre-reqs or helpful classes AT the CC so you are ready to enter as a junior. If you are 24 when you apply and fill out FAFSA, they go by your income, not your parents’, and you may be eligible for PELL and some state grants, depending on your state. Finally, talk to your counselor about where students like you usually go for transfer and discuss the school you wish to attend. You may get a lot of mail from private colleges wanting you to apply but follow the money – also, your HS transcript/SAT scores may or may not be required once you apply – depends on the school. And some schools give priority to a transfer with an AA degree (more likely to graduate from their school). Best wishes! You are halfway through your AA, so keep up the great work.
PS Some four-year colleges have admission reps assigned to certain regions and CCs - find out if your transfer college has such a person and get their email!