Hi there,
Well let’s just say my university application process didn’t go as planned an I’m starting college at a local university this year. I’m an international student (but a US citizen) and I am looking to change universities next year. My question is, should I apply as a transfer or a freshman? Which one has higher chances of getting in? Also, can I transfer any credits if I apply as a freshman?
I have a good high school transcript and an okay SAT1 score of 2040, (I also gave SAT2, Physics: 610, Math II: 720)
I plan on doing some internships as well this year.
What are my chances and how can I make them better?
I appreciate your feedback.
If you already graduated from high school, and starting college this fall. You will be applying as transfer student.
“I’m an international student (but a US citizen)”
Where are you studying this fall as an “international” student? Are you studying inside the US or outside the US?
If you are a US citizen studying in the US, you aren’t an international! You are a US citizen educated abroad. Yes, your application might need to be read by someone from the international admissions office who is familiar with the country where you were educated, but you still are a domestic applicant because you don’t need a visa and you are eligible for federal financial aid.
All that said, admissions is easier for freshman applicants rather than for transfers, and financial aid is better for freshman than for transfers. You might be best off to take a gap year, do the internships you are looking at, and apply to a better list for fall 2016.
Once you have enrolled in college level studies anywhere on the planet, it is very unlikely that you would be able to decide whether or not to apply as a freshman or a transfer to a college or university in the US. Each college and university sets its own policy about what makes a transfer applicant. In some cases one college-level credit earned after completing secondary school will make you into a transfer. In other cases, provided you are one-credit short of a full year’s worth of credits, you are still a freshman. You have to check each place’s policy separately.
Likewise, each place determines for itself which credits will and won’t transfer. That means that it is entirely possible for you to be required to apply as a transfer student but then find out after admission that none of your credits transferred.
Yes, I’m a US citizen being educated abroad then I guess. So I guess I have to check each colleges’ policy on what makes a transfer applicant. I was planning on applying as a transfer but since I’m studying abroad I figured my chances may be significantly lower. Perhaps it is better to take a gap year and apply as a freshman then. Thank you so much for your help.
One place to get some advice about your college list would be the closest advising center of EducationUSA. If no one in that office has worked with a US citizen recently, they have colleagues in other offices who have. https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center
As a US citizen, one thing that you could do during this gap year is move to one of the states where you can establish in-state residence on your own, and get a job there. That would make it cheaper to attend a public college or university in that state. Unfortunately, that is something that you have to investigate on a state-by-state or even institution-by-institution basis. I haven’t checked recently, but it used to be possible for some community colleges in Maryland, and for some public universities in Missouri and Texas.
@pandachan Based on my understanding of things, once you graduate high school you can no longer apply as a freshman, you can only apply as a transfer student. I am 90%. but I advise looking into it before you decide to take a year off.
@ericeo - Graduating high school does not make someone a transfer applicant. Taking college-level classes for credit after graduating from high school is what can make a student into a transfer applicant. Each college and university sets its own policy about the number of college-level credits that are needed before a student has to apply as a transfer. In some cases just one credit is enough. In other cases a full year’s worth of credits would need to be earned before the applicant has to apply as a transfer. Potential students have to investigate the requirements separately for each place that they will be applying to.
It depends on the number of credits you have. Usually anything under 24 would be considered a freshman applicant.
Re #7
Depends on the school. There is no general rule.
8 that's why I said "usually", which is not the same as always.
I know this because I’m currently working on a project that lists the transfer requirements for every school in the U.S. (for a website).