Should I consider transferring?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I currently attend a public university, but we still have a considerably high tuition. My family has a very low income, and I am having to take out loans to pay for my college education. Hopefully, I'll be getting a scholarship, but I will still have to pay the rest of my tuition with loans, and then pay those off after college.</p>

<p>My high school guidance counselor did not do a good job in helping me apply to schools, and I only applied to one. It was my top choice at the time, and I was obviously accepted, but now, as a second semester freshman, I definitely regret not applying to more schools and looking more into financial aid and such.</p>

<p>I found this list of schools: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014"&gt;http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2013/09/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need-2014&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Apparently, these schools meet full financial needs. Is it worth applying to any of these schools as a transfer student? I probably wouldn't be able to transfer until my junior year, or maybe my second semester of my sophomore year, because of personal reasons. I like the school that I attend now, but I'm not in love with it, and I wouldn't balk at maybe being able to go to a different school, especially if it meant my financial needs would be met. I also sort of feel like I don't fit in at my current school, and a change of environment might be nice.</p>

<p>Is it worth transferring for this reason? If I apply as a transfer student, do I still have the same chance at getting good financial aid packages from schools as I would if I were applying as a first-year student? </p>

2

<p>Things to consider:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The schools with the most generous need based FA are usually also the most selective, and more so for transfers. Look at the transfer rates on the CBs Big Future or the CDS for schools.</p></li>
<li><p>Some of those schools will treat transfers like fr admits for FA, others give less FA to transfers. You need to check the college websites for transfer FA policies. There are also schools that have need aware admissions for transfers, which means that whether or not an applicant applies for FA may be used as a factor in admissions decisions.</p></li>
<li><p>Three things to remember schools that meet full need: First, need is defined by the school, not you and your family. Second, schools expect you to pay with a combination of past savings, current income and future loans. Finally, except for a few no-loan schools, full need is a combination of grants, WS & loans.</p></li>
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