Can I recieve merit aid as a sophomore transfer?

<p>So I'm at Tufts which is extremely expensive like all NESCAC schools and I'm thinking that it might be smart to maybe think about transferring to a school where I could get some aid so that down the road in grad school I wouldn't be in so much debt. But do colleges give out merit aid to transfer students? Like Tulane and Rhodes gave me really great packages that amounted to 100k and 64k in total but I chose Tufts instead. Might have been a mistake. Could I get scholarships near these amounts if I were to transfer to a different college (not necessarily these two)? Would a college give me merit aid?
Also do you know if transfer application readers look heavily at 2nd semester sr year? Cause I made all B-s with one B+ that semester... how bad will that hurt me?</p>

<p>In h.s. i made a 3.5 UW (3.6 before 2nd semester sr year)
SAT 2270</p>

<p>And how much will my first semester freshman grades impact things? I'm planning on doing as well as possible but who isnt...
Thanks</p>

<p>Transfer admittance is primarily based on your college GPA. High school grades and test scores are rarely important.</p>

<p>Merit aid for transfer students is much harder to come by than for entering freshmen. It is also usually based primarily on college.</p>

<p>The earlier in your college career you are the more probable colleges will also consider HS info. Merit aid for transfer applicants is always based on the college. Check the web site of the schools you are interested in for aid.</p>

<p>Like Tulane and Rhodes gave me really great packages that amounted to 100k and 64k in total but I chose Tufts instead. Might have been a mistake. Could I get scholarships near these amounts if I were to transfer to a different college (not necessarily these two)? Would a college give me merit aid?</p>

<p>Sadly, it probably was a mistake not to take those scholarships if your current school requires lots of debt. (How much are you borrowing each year?..what kind of need-based aid are you getting from Tufts? BTW…since you’re currently a soph, you’d likely be a JUNIOR transfer.)</p>

<p>It’s very unlikely you’re going to get such merit from schools for two reasons…1) Big merit is offered to incoming frosh because rankings are based on the quality of the frosh class. Transfers typically cannot get those offers. 2) Any merit that you might get now would be based on your college grades which aren’t stellar. </p>

<p>If you can’t afford your school, you may need to consider transferring to a CC, and then transferring to a nearby state school that you can afford.</p>

<p>I hope other students who could find themselves in this situation read this thread. If you’re choosing a school that will require a lot of debt and you have cheaper options, think twice before choosing the unaffordable school because needing to transfer may result in attending a school that is below (far below) the schools you could have attended as a frosh with a good offer.</p>

<p>Agree with mom2. ^^^^. Transfers have a difficult time with most kinds of aid. </p>

<p>I think that when students get their acceptance letters and offers in the spring of HS, they’re not thinking clearly about how their going to pay, but how “prestigious” the program is and how HS friends view the “where did you get in?” arrogance and sadly some parents seem to support that way of thinking. Then, when it’s time to pay the bill, reality hits. Now you know what you have to do for grad school. Good luck.</p>

<p>I’m sorry I have to comment on the spelling: RecEive is always spelled with an E after the c. It’s a pet peeve of mine.</p>

<p>I agree with the others that merit scholarships for transfers are fewer and usually for smaller amounts than for fr admits. See the Resources sticky thread at the top of the Transfer Students forum for a link to a thread on scholarships for some examples.</p>

<p>If you are truly miserable, pick up the phone, call the other places, and find out if your admissions and aid packages can be reactivated for second semester.</p>

<p>Sometimes that is possible.</p>

<p>I misread…I though this student was talking about B’s during his spring semester in college, so I thought you were now a soph in college.</p>

<p>Yes…if you’re currently a frosh…immediately contact Tulane and the other schools that offered you merit and see if they’ll still give you their offered package for spring semester.</p>