Common questions about transferring schools in the United States

How much do you know about the season of Mangzhong?In American universities, transferring schools is very common.As an international student, it is inevitable that we may come to the same crossroads.In order to help confused students find their direction in a timely manner, prepare well, and successfully transfer to their ideal universities, the ABC Dream team has compiled common questions about transferring to the United States, helping everyone to have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the transfer process and techniques in the United States!

What are the basic knowledge and methods of transferring schools in the United States?Generally speaking, international students have three undergraduate transfer paths: transferring from China to a US university, transferring from a two-year community college to a four-year university, and transferring from a four-year university to another US university.

Depending on the type of transfer and the policies of the transferring school, the necessary conditions and application materials for transfer may vary.In addition to the general transfer channels mentioned above, there is also a special type of “emergency transfer”, mainly aimed at students whose F1 status is about to be suspended and maintaining their status as students in the United States.

Is it easy to transfer schools in the United States?What is the admission rate?There are different opinions on the difficulty of transferring schools in the United States, but most experts believe that the admission rate for transferring schools is generally low.However, based on ABC Dream’s years of experience in transfer operations, the key to successful transfer is actually traceable, mainly depending on the following three aspects: transfer method/pathway: Among all the transfer pathways mentioned above, transferring from a community college to a general four-year university is the most effective transfer method, especially for students who have completed two years of study and obtained an associate degree.

The choice of transfer school: In addition to differences in transfer methods, choosing a school is also a key factor affecting the success rate of transfer.Generally speaking, the success rate of transferring to top colleges such as Ivy League universities is low, mainly due to the high retention rate of new students and the limited availability of extra spots for transfer students to apply for.For example, the transfer admission rate at Princeton University in recent years is estimated to be around 1%.

Is there an agreement signed between the transfer out and transfer in schools: There are also many top schools in the United States that have reserved transfer quotas.For example, the University of California, UC System has signed agreements with many local community colleges in California, allowing eligible community college students to have priority access to admission opportunities.

According to data from the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the acceptance rate for first-time applicants for four-year university transfers in the United States is 66%, slightly higher than the average transfer admission rate of 62%.

Although the transfer admission rate may seem slightly low, the key still lies in the transfer strategy.Will successful transfer programs in the United States result in delayed completion?For international students, study time is the biggest learning cost.

Every additional semester, one must continue to bear the staggering international student tuition fees and living expenses.Therefore, this is a question that many international students often consider when considering transferring schools.Basically, the graduation time mainly depends on the following two factors: when to decide to transfer: If there is a plan to transfer when you first enter university, you usually take some courses that can be transferred credits, so you do not need to make up for these credits after transferring to a new school.

Do you plan to change majors?Changing majors usually requires additional credits and sometimes even specific general education requirements.Can credits taken at the original school be transferred?

As mentioned above, transferring schools can affect students’ expected graduation dates or other plans.The higher education system in the United States is different from that in China.Each school is an independent institution without a unified system and standards, so not all courses/credits can be transferred.Some schools even do not accept course credits with grades lower than C.

Generally speaking, if the transferring and transferring schools are public schools in the same state, transferring credits is the easiest.These schools usually have bridging agreements between them, which not only facilitate credit transfer for transfer students, but may even include admission agreements that allow transfer students who meet specific qualifications to be directly admitted.

Regardless of the relationship between schools, Jessie reminds all students that the power to accept or refuse transfer credits always lies with the transferring school.Therefore, when transferring schools, it is necessary to conduct special research on the equivalence of courses, the conversion between course levels, and the conversion policies between quarterly and semester systems.

Will transferring schools affect my OPT/CPT internship or on campus/off campus employment eligibility?Whether transfer students can retain their original internship hours after transferring schools to meet the eligibility for internship or job applications depends on the student’s transfer method and identity status, as follows: Transfer Method Internship or Job Qualifications Formal Domestic Transfer Generally, under normal transfer, transfer students’ time studying at the transfer school can be counted as the F1 status academic year.

As long as they meet one full academic year, they are eligible to apply for internships and work study employment both on and off campus.Emergency transfer+activation of entry and exit status: If a student’s original F1 status expires and is activated by leaving the United States and re entering, they will enter the country with a new initial F1 status, and the time spent studying in the past cannot be counted towards the academic year of the new status.

Can I continue my CPT/OPT internship after transferring?Internship type transfer affects CPT students.As long as they are authorized to work, they can continue to undergo CPT at the transferring school before the transfer release date.If you want to apply for CPT after transferring to a new school, you must obtain authorization from the new DSO again.

OPT authorization for OPT students will officially end on the transfer release date, and OPT authorization is non transferable.If students want to start a new semester after completing OPT, the transferring school must set the release date after the end of OPT.

Students can apply for a transfer within 60 days after completing OPT, as long as the transfer release date falls within the next 5 months.Can I continue my on campus and off campus work study after transferring?The transfer of employment types affects campus employment, and students can only work at the school that manages their SEVIS records.

Therefore, on the transfer release date

Before the release date, students can continue to work at the transferring school as long as they obtain DSO permission.As for students who want to transfer to the school for work study, they must also coordinate with the DSO of the transferring school in advance to ensure that the on campus work they apply for complies with F1’s regulations for on campus employment, and can start working after the release date of the transfer.

Once a student transfers to another school, their permission to work outside of school will be immediately terminated.If students want to continue working outside of school after transferring, they must obtain a recommendation from the DSO of the transferring school and submit a new application to USCIS.

Can I apply to schools that have previously been rejected for transfer applications in the United States?In most cases, students can reapply to universities that were previously denied admission.

However, it should be noted that some top schools may not review resubmitted applications, and this part must be confirmed with the school first to avoid confusion.When reapplying to these universities, Jessie suggested that the focus should be on improving academic performance and revising or writing the original admission application paper to demonstrate the efforts and growth made during this period.

Therefore, it is recommended that all students considering transferring schools strive to achieve good grades in their first academic year.How many times can I transfer schools at most?

Will it affect F1 identity?Basically, both students in their initial state and those returning to the United States to study are not allowed to apply for transfer before the start of the course, in order to extend the start date of the course: Student Status Transfer Regulations: Students in Initial Status must apply for transfer within 30 days after entering the country, and cannot apply for transfer to extend the start date of the course.

Regarding how initial students can transfer schools, please refer to the following common question: How can F1 students who are entering the United States for the first time apply for transfer schools?To continue studying in the United States, students who are not in their initial state must return to school within five months after the last class date or in the next semester (whichever is earlier), and cannot extend their return to school period by applying for a transfer.

It should be noted that if a student transfers multiple times without any improvement in academic performance, it may affect the maintenance of their identity and be considered a violation of identity regulations.How to choose to transfer to school?In most cases, transfer students should have a better understanding of the learning environment they want than freshmen, and it is recommended to focus on schools that are conducive to achieving career goals.

Here, ABC Dream provides another tip to help students have more confidence in the school selection process.View the Common Data Set on the school website, which includes information such as admission standards and the number of transfer applicants.

Students can use this data to understand the key points that the school values before starting the transfer application process.In addition, we strongly recommend confirming the school’s accreditation before deciding to transfer.Accreditation is the guarantee of academic quality and public responsibility level for universities.

If you accidentally enter an unverified school to study, you may face consequences such as inability to successfully transfer credits, difficulty in applying for research accommodation, and scholarships.Some schools’ certifications are produced by so-called “certification factories” and have no substantive effect, so special attention must be paid to the credibility of the certification agency.What are the transfer application materials included?

The transfer application materials are actually much simpler than the freshman admission application, but there may still be slight differences due to different transfer channels and transfer schools.They basically include the following items: high school and university transcripts (GPA), language proficiency test scores: The regulations of each school are not the same, and some schools accept course records from the transfer school to offset language scores.

If you study in the United States for a certain period of time, you can also be exempted from language score admission.Recommendation letter from university professor, admission application paper (according to the requirements of each school), other favorable review materials, and academic requirements for transferring to the United States?

For transfer applications, SAT or ACT scores are not the key, but rather special attention should be paid to the university’s GPA.Transferring to a school will view applicants from the perspective of college students, so if their GPA is not good at their original school, it may give the review committee a negative impression that the student will not perform well at the new school.

How to plan a transfer?What is the best time to transfer schools?The transfer plan ultimately depends on the needs and learning background of the student.Several key conditions and recommended transfer methods include: personal situation, transfer timing, current grade and situation.

If a student chooses to apply for a transfer in the first year, the admissions committee may review their high school grades and other relevant materials as an important benchmark.This type of student must have good high school and SAT scores in order to have a higher chance of admission.

Also, because these students may have limited academic performance, it is recommended to transfer in the fall when there are a large number of applicants.Whether it is an emergency transfer.If there is an urgent need for transfer, such as poor performance at the original school or imminent expulsion, the closer the transfer date, the more recent the transfer date should be considered.Whether it is a domestic transfer or not.

If you want to transfer from a domestic undergraduate to an American undergraduate, you must pay attention to the end date of the domestic semester, which usually falls in January of each year.However, this period is also the spring transfer enrollment period for American universities.Therefore, for domestic transfer students, autumn is a better time to transfer.

Most top universities in the United States do not offer spring transfer programs, and if the goal is to enter prestigious universities such as the University of California, it is generally only possible to enroll in the fall semester.

As for schools that offer spring transfer programs, the number of available spots is usually much smaller than in autumn, and application materials are usually subject to stricter scrutiny.For students with average academic performance, there is actually no advantage.Whether to apply for a scholarship or not.

If you are a student who needs a scholarship to study, it is also important to note that the number of scholarships offered in the spring is not large, and the chances of obtaining them are relatively low.As mentioned above, most transfer programs in the United States are focused on the fall semester (especially at well-known universities), with only a few schools opening their doors to transfer students in the spring semester.

So please be reminded to confirm the transfer application deadline with the transferring school before deciding to transfer

The requirements for admission and transfer of majors (transfer policies may vary depending on the major).Renowned universities in California that do not accept fall transfers include the University of California System (UC), Stanford University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and University of Southern California (USC).

The deadline for spring transfers is approximately in October November; The autumn season ends in February March (some schools may open until April).Students planning to transfer schools should understand the transfer procedures early and prepare in advance.It is recommended that students who intend to transfer schools should start preparing their applications at least 12 months in advance.

Do community college students need to complete two years of study before transferring?No need, but obtaining an associate degree before transferring has application advantages.The main reason is that the first two years of four-year universities are mainly focused on general education, during which most students will explore themselves with high uncertainty.

Therefore, many universities particularly prefer associate degrees that have completed basic education and even some professional knowledge foundations.These students are usually able to seamlessly integrate and graduate with a bachelor’s degree on time after transfer.However, most schools also require students to have at least one year of university study experience (depending on the policies of each school).How can F1 students who enter the United States for the first time apply for transfer?

If you are an initial student entering the country, you must still report before the course start date listed on your I-20.If you want to apply for a transfer, you must first obtain a written admission certificate from another SEVP accredited school.

The transfer method depends on the start date of the courses at the transferring school and the time of the student’s entry into the United States.

The details are as follows: If the start date of the courses at the transferring school is within 30 days before or after the student’s initial entry, the student must notify DSO to transfer the SEVIS records to the new school.

If the start time of the courses transferred to the school is not within 30 days after the student’s initial entry, the student can transfer through the following methods: abandoning the original school enrollment and leaving the United States, obtaining a new I-20 for the transferred school, paying the new I-901 SEVIS fee, and re entering the country to start learning with a new SEVP record.

Continue full-time study at the original school until the student’s SEVIS record is activated, and then apply to DSO for transfer out.Students can also request DSO to transfer terminated SEVP records out, but the following conditions must be met: the student record has been terminated due to ‘Failure to Enroll’, the student has not successfully enrolled, and the student has not taken any of the above methods.

How long does it take to transfer from the original school to the new school?This depends on each student’s identity and transfer situation.Prior to the transfer release date, the original school DSO remained responsible for the student SEVIS records.

If students still have courses at their original school, they must attend classes normally and maintain their student status until the transfer date.As for the official transfer time to the new school, students must start their courses within (1) the next semester after transferring to the school, or (2) five months after the end of the courses at the transferring school (whichever is earlier), unless the student has applied for leave or vacation through authorization.

If the next start date of the transfer in school exceeds five months after the end of the course at the transfer out school, the student must leave the United States until they can start classes at the transfer in school.In this case, DSO will not consider it a transfer process and will provide a new initial I-20 for the student to re-enter the United States as an initial identity.

If the F1 visa expires during the waiting period outside the United States, visa renewal or reapplication must also be completed before entering the United States.When should students contact the DSO who transferred to the school?It is recommended to contact the DSO of the transferring school as soon as possible after the transfer out date and ensure that the following tasks are completed: ensure that the DSO has all the information and can update your SEVIS record to apply for a new I-20, display the transfer fact and the start date of the new course.

When should you report to the new school after transferring?Transfer students must report to the school at least 15 days before the start of the course.How to maintain F1 student status during the transfer period between the United States and F1 students?If F1 students transfer within the United States, they must also apply for SEVIS record transfer from another school after receiving the admission notice in order to obtain a new I-20 and maintain their legal student status in the United States.

It should be noted that during this transition period, although students are free to leave the country, they must ensure that they hold a valid I-20 when entering the United States.Depending on the different stages of the transfer process, it may be an I-20 from the transferring school or the transferring school.

Before the transfer release date, students must present their I-20 from the transferring school.However, on the day of the transfer, the original I-20 becomes invalid and they must wait for the receiving school to issue a new I-20 form (within 60 days).Can students apply for a transfer after their SEVIS record is terminated (i.

e.their F1 status becomes invalid)?Sure, it can be done in three ways: before transferring, apply for status restoration to the US Immigration Service within the country.Transfer the terminated SEVIS records to the new school and apply for domestic identity restoration.International students can apply for transfer first.

After successful transfer, from the date of SEVIS record transfer, the new school’s DSO will be responsible for SEVIS records and provide a new I-20 for international students to apply for identity restoration to USCIS.International students must have a plan for full-time study in the next semester or five months, even if USCIS has not yet ruled on the restoration of status.

International students must start studying before the school’s open enrollment date.However, this does not guarantee the approval of the USCIS status restoration application.If the application fails, international students must leave immediately.Applying for an emergency transfer, obtaining a new I-20, and restoring their status through immigration, international students must leave the United States after obtaining the I-20 provided by the transferring school.

The intermediate step is

There is a time interval required, and once re entered, it is equivalent to entering with a new F1 identity, meaning that SEVIS will be a completely new record and will lose any student qualifications that need to be accumulated over time, such as CPT qualifications for past elective courses.

It should be noted that during this process, it is necessary to confirm that the F1 visa is still valid.Can students leave the country before and after applying for a transfer?If students plan to leave the country before and after applying for a transfer, whether for travel or returning to visit relatives, they must pay special attention to the arrangement of travel dates and transfer times.

Students must hold a valid I-20 in order to re-enter the country.A valid I-20 is defined as follows: If the student’s entry and exit time is before the transfer out date, the original school’s I-20 should be presented upon entry.If the student’s entry and exit time is after the transfer out date, the transfer in school’s I-20 should be presented upon entry.

However, if the student leaves the United States before the transfer out date and can only return after the transfer out date, the transfer in school’s DSO must provide the I-20 for initial entry, allowing the student to re-enter the United States as an initial identity.If a student has submitted a request for status restoration and is still waiting for the results when entering a new school, the following must be noted: travel abroad is not allowed until the US Immigration Service rules on status restoration.

If travel is necessary, the DSO transferring to the school should revoke the student’s restoration request (without refund) and issue a new I-20 for the student to return in their initial status.

How to effectively improve the success rate of transferring schools?Although transferring schools is a normal activity in American universities, and even a common daily routine for American college students, in fact, it is not so easy to successfully transfer to a good school.Due to the high flexibility of the higher education system in the United States, unlike the standardized regulations in China, as long as a transfer strategy is formulated, there is a high probability of entering an ideal school for enrollment.

However, for international students who are new to the US education ecosystem and system, they may not be familiar enough, and with the abundance of information on the internet, it is difficult to judge the truth.It is recommended that international students who have transfer plans first consult experienced and reliable intermediaries, and with the advice of professional consultants, create a perfect transfer plan.

The ABC Dream consulting team has access to the latest first-hand study abroad information in the United States and has many years of experience in US transfer operations and consulting.They have successfully assisted multiple students in seizing opportunities and smoothly transferring to their ideal universities to obtain degrees.Are you still feeling distressed about transferring schools?

Why not chat with us online and solve your doubts in real time!