Transferring to the Ivy League: When, How + Steps To Take (2024)

FAQs

How do I successfully transfer to Ivy League? ›

Ivy League schools accept transfer students from various institutions across the country. As long as you have a strong profile, excellent grades, and a compelling application, transferring to the Ivy League as a community college student is possible (whether or not you've already completed an associate's degree).

Is Transferring to an Ivy League College Easy? Transferring to another school can often be more difficult than applying as a freshman. The NACAC report shows the overall acceptance rate for transfer students at all schools in the country was 61% compared to 66% for freshman applications.

Whether you are attending a community college or a state university, you can apply to transfer into an Ivy League school. Transfers are usually accepted after sophom*ore year. However, keep in mind that depending on the school, it is more difficult to gain admission as a transfer than a first-year student.

The Ivy League colleges are more interested in how you did your first year or semester in college than anything you previously did in high school (including your SAT or ACT scores). Some Ivy League schools allow transfer students to apply for both the fall and spring semesters, like Brown.

Cornell is considered the "easiest" Ivy League to get into because it has the highest Ivy League acceptance rate. While it's easier, statistically speaking, to get into Cornell, it's still challenging. It's also important to remember that students apply directly to one of Cornell's eight undergraduate colleges.

Yes, you can get into an Ivy League with a 3.7 GPA. Though, the lower your grade, the less your chances of getting into an Ivy League, but with a strong personal statement and a properly packaged application, you can get in with a grade even less than 3.7 GPA.

Cornell University

Cornell is the easiest and youngest Ivy League school. It was established in 1865 and is situated in Ithaca, New York. Out of 49,114 candidates, Cornell accepted 5,330, for an admission percentage of around 10.9%.

Among Ivy League schools, Columbia University accepts the most transfer students.

If you're aiming for a top university such as one in the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, or others of the same caliber, a 4.0 GPA — or close to it — is expected.

Transfer students are evaluated on the basis of the GPA earned and the college work they have completed. If a student is right on the edge between being accepted or not, then in that case Letters of Recommendation may make an impact in the decision process.

What increases chances of getting into Ivy League? ›

Be sure to have good grades and test scores.

If your goal is to enter an Ivy League school, you will need outstanding grades and test scores. According to The National Association for College Admission Counseling, these are the two most important factors for a student trying to get into a highly-selective university.

Many transfer students are at lower income brackets than students who enroll directly at four-year universities. Low-income students typically have lower enrollment rates, but without surveying students directly, colleges might have assumed that transfer students just weren't ready for universities.

1. Academic Performance. Ivy League schools expect you to have outstanding grades, and it's practically a prerequisite to applying. Unless you've experienced an extreme illness or a life-changing experience, Ivy League schools expect you to have a good GPA of at least 4.0.

Can an average student get into Ivy League? While it can be challenging for an average student to get into an Ivy League school, it is not impossible. The admissions process for Ivy League schools is highly selective.

A competitive application shows that the applicant has taken the most challenging curriculum available to him or her, and that student has achieved high grades on top of that. In other words, they have both a high GPA and many AP, IB, or Honors classes. For the Ivy League, a high GPA is, on average, a weighted 4.0.

While receiving a “C” will impact your GPA, it will certainly not ruin it. That “C” won't ruin your chances of getting into college either.

Campus happiness: Brown is widely known as the happiest Ivy, perhaps because of students' freedom to choose courses with almost complete autonomy. Students report feeling less competition amongst themselves and an overall sense of campus community.

And maybe, you can get into a top tier college with a low GPA. We've always stated that the lowest GPA student we've ever helped get into an Ivy League school had a 3.3 unweighted GPA. And we're not saying that we could get anyone in with a 3.3 GPA. But it has happened before – and the student was Asian American too.

You should also have a 4.14 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Yale, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.

Because competition for elite schools is fierce, every extra point both on your ACT score and GPA will help. A 33 lands you solidly in the mid-range for average acceptance at places like Yale and Harvard, above their 25th percentile, which is 32, but below the 75th, which is 34-35.

Is it easier to get into Harvard as a transfer student? ›

Every year approximately 1,500 students apply to transfer to Harvard University. Of these hopeful students, typically, only about a dozen get accepted to the prestigious school. This makes Harvard's transfer acceptance rate less than 1%, or only 0.8% to be precise.

Dartmouth University is the Ivy League school that receives the least amount of applications. On average, they receive nearly 23,000 applications each year, and this year they received 28,841 applications.

Stanford University

Stanford University has a 5% acceptance rate. The Stanford, California, college was also named by Niche as the No. 2 school for the best academics in 2023. Additionally, the school ranks high on the list of best value colleges in the country.

Harvard University

As one of the most prestigious universities in the world, it comes as no surprise that Harvard has a student body that is among the wealthiest in the country. Many of the students at Harvard come from families with significant wealth and influence, and many go on to become leaders in their fields.

As you might expect, the colleges that produce the most billionaires are largely Ivy League universities. But even for those who never reach 10 figures, Ivy League universities can still generate wealth.

Nationwide, the high school with the most students graduating from Harvard, Princeton or MIT is Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Virginia, with 79 total.

Does Harvard Accept B Students? Yes, just like I mentioned above, it's completely possible to get admitted into Harvard University with B grades.

Average GPA: 4.18

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. With a GPA of 4.18, Harvard requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants.

You should also have a 4.18 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Harvard, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.

Do extracurriculars matter as a transfer student? ›

Having extracurricular achievements can also help you distinguish yourself from other highly qualified transfer applicants in competitive majors, where completion of required coursework and high GPA are the norm.

Is Transferring Easier Than Getting In as a First-Year Student? At some schools, transfer students have a better statistical shot at getting accepted than first-year applicants, with chances of acceptance sometimes doubled or even tripled. This holds true at many highly selective colleges, especially public schools.

This means your grades will play an even more important role in the viability of your transfer application than they did the last time you applied. If you've earned less than 60 credits, colleges will generally want to look at both your high school and college grades, so be prepared to submit transcripts for both.

Some experts recommend starting as early as sixth grade. We have found that starting to think about and to prepare for college should ideally start during the summer before your high school freshman year, but getting help later can still be of benefit to you.

Ivy League

To be a competitive candidate for admission, you will need to take at least 8 AP® classes, more if you can. It is a good idea to take 1 AP® course in each of the following core disciplines: English, Foreign Language, History, Math, and Science to impress the admissions officers.

This is when you should start taking your AP core classes. Take 3 to 5 if you are aiming for a highly selective school, and 2 to 4 if you are aiming elsewhere. Note that many students describe this year as significantly harder than past ones. And you'll also likely be taking your standardized tests.

A good transfer GPA is 3.8 (which is the average transfer GPA) and above. However, the minimum GPA is 2.5. The GPA requirement differs from college to college. Top tier colleges demand the average and above.

The easiest UC schools to get into include UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, and UC Merced, all of which have acceptance rates over 50%. Located 40 minutes outside San Jose, UCSC earns high marks for its picturesque campus and close beach access.

First, Ivy League schools are looking for students dedicated to academic excellence. Strong test scores and a high GPA can help bolster your application and show you can handle the rigor of a top-ranked college curriculum.

How to impress an Ivy League school? ›

Political science and government are popular majors across the Ivy League, according to "U.S. News and World Report." English literature and the social science majors remain very popular at Harvard, along with psychology.

Your recent grades also matter more than grades for earlier years, so your courses and grades in grade 11 and grade 12 are of utmost importance. Ivy League schools will also ask for your mid-year grades report, so make sure you keep your performance consistently good amidst your application.

For Ivy League and other top tier schools, a class rank in the top 10% or 5% is a good goal to aim for. Remember though, that colleges take many factors into consideration when they look at college applications, and your class rank is just one piece of the puzzle.

In the context of Ivy League schools, like Yale and Harvard, a good class rank is typically one that places a student within the top 5-10% of their graduating class. It is crucial to understand that Ivy League admissions are highly competitive, with thousands of qualified applicants vying for a limited number of spots.

Cornell is considered the "easiest" Ivy League to get into because it has the highest Ivy League acceptance rate. While it's easier, statistically speaking, to get into Cornell, it's still challenging. It's also important to remember that students apply directly to one of Cornell's eight undergraduate colleges.

Ivy League universities (and most universities, for that matter) consider student accomplishments from the ninth to 12th grades. So typically, achievements in say the 7th or 8th grade don't matter all that much. However, successful Ivy League applicants boast impressive school records right from the start.

Every year approximately 1,500 students apply to transfer to Harvard University. Of these hopeful students, typically, only about a dozen get accepted to the prestigious school. This makes Harvard's transfer acceptance rate less than 1%, or only 0.8% to be precise.

If you're aiming for a top university such as one in the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, or others of the same caliber, a 4.0 GPA — or close to it — is expected.

What is the second easiest Ivy League to get into? ›

Dartmouth University

The second most accessible Ivy League school to get into is Dartmouth, established in 1769 and based in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth admitted 1,876 applicants out of 23,650, the lowest number among the eight Ivy League schools, for an acceptable percentage of 7.9%.

As a reference, most admitted transfer students have a GPA of 3.7 or higher. This gives you an idea of how important your grades will be for the admissions committee.

Eligibility. To be eligible to transfer, you must have completed at least one continuous academic year in a full-time degree program at one college and not more than two academic years. You must complete at least two full years of study at Harvard.

All transfer applications each year are due by March 1st to enter the fall term of the same calendar year. Transfer applicants who are admitted are not permitted to defer their admission.

How Many Extracurricular Activities Do Ivy Leagues Want? For most students, two or three extracurricular activities is manageable while balancing a full course load, depending on the commitment involved in each.

None of the Ivy League schools have a minimum GPA requirement for applications, which means anyone can apply regardless of their GPA.