<p>I attend a Tier 3 state school in the Midwest and i have finished my freshman year. For multiple reasons, I want to transfer out to another school and am currently researching good schools. I have been a long time reader of this forum and I have found them to be helpful. I would like to know about some good schools that i can transfer to that are not to hard on the pockets.</p>
<p>The main reason that it is hard for me to transfer out of this school is money. My parents are currently paying for my tuition, but I know that i will not receive any of their assistance if i decide to transfer out. I am also living at home to save money. I am trying to find schools (private or public, don't matter) that are not only welcoming to transfer students, but are generous as well. I plan on transferring for the winter/spring semesters of 2012, but if that isn't possible, probably Fall of 2012 at the latest.</p>
<p>As for stats, I have a 3.6 GPA, and am active on a couple of student organizations on the campus. I have 500+ of volunteering hours from a cancer center near my home.</p>
<p>The most generous schools with need based FA (relatively few schools give merit aid to transfers, for those that do, see the Resources sticky thread) are generally also the most selective. It is going to be very difficult to transfer from a third tier college with a 3.6 gpa to one of these schools as the competition is intense and usually admission rates are lower than for fr applicants.</p>
<p>Also, will you qualify for need based FA based on your family’s income, assets and other factors? If you are under 24, you will not be considered independent for FA.</p>
<p>I expect my GPA to rise significantly after i am through retaking a couple classes, as well as the fact that i am taking summer classes (7 credits) and will probably have a 4.0 for both of them,so hopefully i can be a competitive candidate by the time i apply.</p>
<p>As for FAFSA, I do not qualify as need-based because of my parent’s income. I have not had much luck with FAFSA and their aid. Most of the financial aid given by my school is usually reserved for low income residents of the city, so it has not helped me much overall.</p>