<p>Hi, I am international student (I actually live in Peru) that will be attending an american university this fall as a transfer student. Besides that I am planing to apply to some schools, including Harvard ^^. Don't worry, this is is not a chance thread (but if any of you has any recommendation or comment, I would really appreciate it).</p>
<p>Anyways, I have been looking for information about the transfer eligibility for Harvard. I have looked at their website but they have not an accurate response for my situation. Also, when I write to their admissions office, they keep sendin me an automatic response, so I have no other way to get information from.
I have studied for 1.5 years at a peruvian university. I am planning on studing 1 more year at the american university I will attending before I enter Harvard IF I am admited (and that is BIG IF), of course. Does anyone know about any credit limit I may be exceeding as I will have 2.5 years of prior college studies? In Peru, it is common to take 20-23 credits per semester, so I have already taken about 65 credits during these 1.5 years of study. If I add the credits I will take at the american university, do you think it will be too much?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know if Harvard needs the college certificates to be sent directly (in physical copies) from the institutions? Or is it enough that my counselor submit the report through the CommonApp. As I said, I can't find any specific answer for my quesitons in their website, so it doesn't hurt to try to ask here.</p>
<p>“The maximum amount of credit allowed any transfer student is 8.0 full (year-long) courses, i.e., half of the 16.0 full courses required for the A.B. or S.B. degrees, or the equivalent of two full years of academic work.”</p>
<p>Yes, you will need to send an official transcript of your college work as part of the transfer application.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your answer.
Do you know if that maximum of credit allowed is the maximum amount of credit transferable or the maximum amount of credit a student may have by the time the apply? As I said, I will have 2.5 years of academic work. But of those 1.5 yeas at my peruvain university, I believe less than half of it may be transferable as many of the courses I have taken are electives or other general studies courses only present at this university curriculum.
I am afraid I may not be allowed to apply to Harvard. But even if I exceed the limit by a bit, would it be recomendable to still apply?</p>
<p>@mcalderon94: Credit is granted on an individual basis. The Registrar’s Office will look at your 2.5 years of academic work and determine what credits are transferrable. The maximum allowed is 2 years of credit, so you will lose at least a half a year of work, maybe more if they determine that some of the Peruvain credits are non-transferable. And exultationsy is correct; last year Harvard’s transfer acceptance rate was 1%, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket.</p>
<p>The relevant question is not about the number of credits you can transfer, but rather Hs definition for eligibility as a transfer applicant, and the answer is stated on their website under Transfer Program: Criteria for eligibility:</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses
I know Harvard transfer rate is extremely low =(, but I wanted to give it a try.
So… based on my 2.5 years of college work, do you think I should forget about applying to Harvard? (It seems like it, but maybe there is some hope)</p>
<p>Entomom answered your question with her quote from the Harvard site.</p>
<p>Since Harvard specifies “students who have completed more than two years of college study with transferable credit…are not eligible to transfer to Harvard College”, and you have 2.5 years of college work it seems clear you would be ineligible.</p>
<p>You can apply for graduate school later, assuming you have stellar college grades and GREs.</p>
<p>Not so fast! You will have 2-1/2 years of college, but not necessarily 2-1/2 years of “transferable credit”. I think you have to assume that your year of U.S. university will consist of transferable credit, but that isn’t clearly true of your Peruvian university. You should contact the Harvard admissions office and ask how you can get a determination of how much transferable credit you have.</p>
<p>I have already written to their admissions office but they keep sending me anautomatic response. I don’t know why, but they have not given me a personal answer. I will write them again, maye when the application process starts they may answer me correctly.</p>
<p>Thank you for your comment, it has given me some hope, but it will only depend on what they tell me.</p>
<p>The transfer acceptance is below 1% of applicants (which have already self-selected) according to the Crim. Give it a shot but don’t hold your breath, unfortunately. And if accepted, housing hasn’t in the past been guaranteed. </p>
<p>There has been a program to allow a student to do a semester (maybe two) at Harvard and then return back to their home schools-- NO HOUSING for certain. I don’t know if it is still going, but that may also be something to investigate.</p>
<p>Why do you think that your first US university won’t offer everything you are looking for? I believe you should put the transfer question aside altogether until you’ve given that school a thorough effort.</p>
