Transfer during first year

Is it truly possible to transfer to Penn State University Park during your first year? I had read on previous forms that it is if you have completed less than 18 credits. Also, that is true for what Penn State’s website says when being considered not a freshman.
What if I were to attend a private university near me and go there for my first semester (getting 16 credits I checked the classes I’d have to take and it’d be 16 credits), then apply to transfer to University Park? I had applied to PSU but been directed to a branch which I will not be attending.

I think you can apply for the spring semester, but hopefully one of the experts who know Penn State will answer us.

Bump

If you have less than 18 credits, they consider you a freshman applicant, not a transfer.

How is the competition? If most students applying as a freshman applicant are being admitted for the Summer/Fall, how does it work for attending the Spring of that year?

It’s harder to transfer than it is to be a first year applicant, competition-wise. You would need to demonstrate some significant change to your application that sent you to a commonwealth campus.