Transfer After Freshman Year

<p>How difficult is it to transfer to a school for the fall semester after your freshman year? I'd assume that schools would be a lot more skeptical when looking over your application since you haven't had that long to demonstrate your capabilities, but would this make it much harder to get into a school compared to after say your second year? I ask specifically in regard to bigger name schools with already competitive admissions; US News Top Twenty's and the like.</p>

<p>On that same note, if you are accepted as a transfer student, can you defer your enrollment by a semester or two given unforeseen circumstances, or just general financial insecurity, or are you typically bound by the date you entered originally on your application? Thanks for the input.</p>