<p>Hello! I graduated from high school a year early because I participated in an accelerated academic program in middle school which allowed me to take high school classes. However, I didn't find out that I could graduate early until December of 2009, so it was too late to apply to most colleges and universities. As such I am currently enrolled in a local community college where I am studying full time. I will be applying to out of town colleges this fall, and I am not sure whether I should apply as a freshman or transfer student. I have heard that there are less available spots and scholarship money available for transfer students at most schools, and housing is not always guaranteed. I have taken several dual enrolled courses, as well as classes at the local college, and while I haven't had to pay anything for these classes due to scholarships, I do want to receive credit for them. If I apply as a freshman I won't. I realize that some universities don't accept transfer credit, so this would therefore be a moot point. But basically it comes down to: should I enroll as a transfer or freshman? And do I HAVE to enroll as a transfer because I am technically already in college?</p>
<p>Have you considered asking the colleges in which you are thinking of applying the answer to your last question? I can’t see how those of us on CC can answer your question. The answer is a matter of policy that ver likely varies from college to college.</p>
<p>As fogcity said, you will have to check with each individual college to determine what its particular policy is. </p>
<p>YOU do not get to choose whether you apply as a freshman or a transfer student; the school will tell you which one they consider you to be. It is usually based on the number of college level credits you will have earned by the time you intend to matriculate at that college. Some schools say any post-graduate classes make you a transfer applicant, while others will set some number, like “anyone with less than 30 credit-hours” is a freshman applicant. You have to sign your application with some sort of statement that says everything you’ve written down is true, so don’t think about picking and choosing which classes you will tell them about.</p>
<p>I was planning on asking each college individually, but I was unsure if there was a set rule. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>If you already graduated and then enrolled in a CC, you will be considered a transfer at most colleges. If you have not graduated most will consider you a freshmen applicant.</p>
<p>Where do you want to apply? Will you be looking for need based or merit aid?</p>
<p>I’m applying to NYU, Marymount Manhattan, Columbia College Chicago, University of the Arts, and Florida State University, as of right now. </p>
<p>I’ll be applying for both need and merit based aid. I was under the impression that most schools have smaller pools of money available for merit based aid if you are a transfer, although I’m not sure if this is true of all schools.</p>
<p>You are 100% correct, there is very limited merit aid for transfers. But none of your schools are good need based aid schools, so the problem here goes both ways.</p>
<p>To really help we need to know your stats, whether or not you graduated, where you’re from, what your EFC is and what you want to study.</p>
<p>I have a 4.0, and graduated last year with an AICE diploma (similar to IB, but associated with the University of Cambridge). I moved to Florida the summer before my junior year, so I was halfway through the IB program at my old school, and then chose to graduate a year early at my new school. I’m not sure what my EFC is, as I haven’t filled out the FAFSA yet. But I would like to double major in dance and graphic design/commercial art.</p>