There are some great college scholarships for eligible students who plan to transfer. Many accredited four year colleges offer them so it’s easier for students to make a change. Some schools may award scholarships for community college transfer students and even out of state admitted students. In addition, many promising students receive scholarships from other sources. These may include university departments, nonprofits, honor societies and private companies.
University of Denver says 70% of undergraduate students who transfer in get some type of merit financial aid. Transfer college students may receive a merit scholarship ranging from $5,000 to $21,000. If you keep up good standing, the amount you receive is renewable for all 4 years. Eligibility is based on your high school GPA and test scores.
Students transferring from a community college may also find scholarship opportunities. University of North Florida offers several Community College Transfer Scholarships. It is open to accepted state residents who have an associate’s degree from an accredited two year college in Florida. Eligible applicants must also have a 2.5 GPA or higher.
How Do You Qualify for a College Transfer Scholarship?
As a college transfer student, you may qualify for college scholarships based on financial need or merit. For need based awards, you must file a FAFSA. You must apply by a priority deadline. Merit scholarships are about academic excellence. For these, you must meet the school’s grade point average and test score range.
Eligible applicants may also need a certain number of completed college credit hours, earned at an accredited institution. Criteria might also include full time enrollment. This may equal from 12 to 15 semester hours per academic year, depending on the school.
Some scholarship application might also ask for the following info:
Letter of acceptance
School Transcripts
Letters of recommendation
Copy of visa if you’re a non U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident card
Essay
10 Transfer Student Scholarships You Should Apply for in 2021
Here are 10 scholarships for transfer students who plan to switch schools. If you meet eligibility rules, apply soon before the deadline.
University of Denver Merit Scholarships for Transfer Students
McMurry University Transfer Scholarship
DePaul University Transfer Scholarship
Aquinas College Transfer Scholarship
Concordia College of New York Fortress Grant for Transfer Students
Concordia College of New York Scholarship for Transfer Students
North Park University Academic Scholarship for International Transfer Students
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Associate Degree Academic Transfer
Stevenson University Honors Scholarship for Transfer Students
Drury University Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Scholarship
Which Colleges Offer Transfer Scholarships?
Many accredited colleges like University of Maryland and University of Miami offer scholarships to students transferring in. Some awards may cover partial or full tuition and fees. You may also receive full ride scholarship awards. They typically pay tuition, fees, housing and a monthly sum for living costs or travel.
The Maryland Transfer Scholarship provides partial tuition awards ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. It is granted equally over four consecutive semesters. Only in state students transferring to the University of Maryland from a two year or four year college are eligible.
All transfer applicants are automatically considered for the President’s Scholarship at University of Miami. Award amounts range from $10,000 to $15,000 annually if you have a competitive GPA of 3.5 or higher. The school also strives to maximize need based financial aid for eligible students making the move. Their goal is to meet 100% of unmet need.
Can You Transfer Your Scholarship to a Different College?
Scholarships don’t usually transfer from one college to the next. So if you received a scholarship from college A, it won’t transfer to college B. The new school you transfer to may calculate financial aid from scratch. However, if the scholarship for transfer students comes from a nonprofit or outside source, you may be able to transfer the award as long as you continue to meet their terms.
Why Do College Students Transfer Between Schools?
Students transfer colleges for a variety of reasons and it’s more common than you might think. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were over 1.3 million transfer in students at some 3,420 schools in the U.S. as of 2019. One of the main motivators is to save money. The average cost of a public two year college, cites the NCES, was $9,400 vs $14,600 at a four year school.
As a result, many students start by enrolling in an associate’s degree program. This gets some of the general college coursework out of the way. The transferable credit hours then reduce the time and cost of a bachelor’s degree from a four year college. For others, the reasons may be less about finances and more about school fit or switching majors. Many students may also transfer due to life and academic challenges because of COVID.
U.S. students who are Arizona residents and have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher are eligible for this award. Students must be planning to transfer to the University of Arizona, and preference will be given to Arizona community college students.
This award is for International undergraduate students who are planning to transfer to North Park University in Illinois. The student must have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours from colleges or universities in the United States and have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher.
This award is for international students who have completed 15 or more credit hours with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher and satisfactory TOEFL or IELTS scores and are planning to transfer to Ashland University in Ohio.
This award is available to college students who are planning to attend Saint Mary’s College of California. Students must have a grade point average of 3.25 or higher and have 30 or more transferable academic semester units at the time of acceptance.
U.S. undergraduate college students who plan to transfer to McMurry University in Texas and are accepted into the Honors Program are eligible for this award. Students must score a 27 or higher on the ACT or 1220 or higher on the SAT or be ranked in the top five percent of their class to be eligible for the Honors Program.
U.S. undergraduate students who plan to transfer to McMurry University in Texas are eligible for this award. Scholarships are based on grade point average and financial need.
This scholarship is open to international students who plan to attend Augsburg College as freshmen. Students must have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
The William P. Reiman Memorial Scholarship Fund is available for graduating high school seniors as well as community college students who are transfering to a four-year college or university. Applicants must reside in Ventura County, California and must have an interest in agriculture.
This undergraduate award is for U.S. community college students who have completed 45 credit hours, and have a 3.0 grade point average or higher. The student must enroll in Auburn University in Alabama.
