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Over one-third of college students will transfer to another institution, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Some students are transferring to save money, but there are numerous more reasons why students could do so. There are several fantastic scholarships for transfer students available, regardless of your reason for doing so!
In this blog, we will be addressing the scholarships available for transfer students. How you can prepare for them, how to look for scholarships and lot more! In this blog everything will be covered.
Why Do College Students Transfer Schools?
Students who choose to apply to and enroll at a different university halfway through their undergraduate careers for a variety of reasons are known as transfer students. Some transfer students do this due of financial aid, academics, or geography.
One of the main reasons students decide to change schools is academics. A more demanding academic program than the one they are currently enrolled in is what some students are searching for.
Instead, some students decide to search for a less demanding academic program. Students seeking a change of pace might want to think about changing schools.
Either way, students must achieve high academic standing and make the most of their college education. Good grades can also increase a transfer student’s chances of getting accepted to a new school because they will have to reapply to universities.
You might be able to apply for merit scholarships if you raise your grades. Financial aid packages known as merit scholarships are given to students who demonstrate strong academic standing and high test scores. To learn how to apply for merit scholarships, click this link.
To ease the financial transition between institutions, think about applying for merit scholarships. Any student with high grades is eligible to apply for the unique merit awards listed on Bold.org.
A transfer student may also decide to apply to another school for private or social reasons. For students to succeed in college, they must have a sense of belonging to their peers. Students may decide to switch schools because they would rather be on a campus with more people who share their interests.
Whatever the reason, hundreds of transfer students each year choose to go through the process of finding a new school. With the college application process comes the need to apply for financial aid and scholarship programs. As a transfer student, you may be eligible for transfer student scholarships you previously could not apply to.
How to Find Scholarships for Transfer Students
There are plenty of scholarships available to transfer students; you just need to know where to look. Start by visiting the website of the college you want to attend; many of them provide transfer-specific scholarships determined by major or GPA.
To locate scholarships filtered by “transfer” status, use reliable search engines like Scholarships.com, Fastweb, and Appily.
25 General Transfer Scholarships
Scholarship Name | Award Amount | Deadline | Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
Making the Leap Scholarship for Transfer Students | $1,000 | January 31, 2026 | Undergraduate students transferring to another institution for a bachelor’s degree. |
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship | $10,000 | June 30, 2025 | Open to all students seeking financial assistance for education. |
Herbert Lehman Education Fund Scholarship | $3,000 (renewable up to $12,000) | April 1, 2025 | Graduating high school seniors, first-year students, or transfer students demonstrating financial need. |
Voyager Scholarship for Public Service | Up to $25,000 | April 1, 2025 | Rising college juniors with plans for a public service career; minimum 3.0 GPA and financial need required. |
AICPA Foundation Two-Year Transfer Scholarship Award | $5,000 | March 15, 2025 | Students transferring from a two-year to a four-year college to pursue accounting; AICPA Student Affiliate Member. |
Irving K. Barber B.C. Scholarship Society Transfer Scholarships | $5,000 | April 3, 2025 | Students transferring credits to another institution; minimum “B” average GPA and community involvement. |
BigFuture Class of 2026 Scholarship | Up to $40,000 | June 30, 2025 | U.S.-based high school students in the Class of 2026; no essay, GPA, test score, or citizenship requirements. |
Malcolm Baldrige School of Business Scholarship | $1,000 | March 17, 2025 | First-year or transfer students pursuing a full-time undergraduate degree at Post University’s School of Business. |
Montana University System 2 Plus 2 Honor Scholarship | Undergraduate tuition waiver | June 30, 2025 | Montana residents with an associate degree transferring to a four-year university within the Montana University System; minimum 3.4 GPA. |
Minnesota State Workforce Development Scholarships | $2,500 | Varies | Minnesota residents attending community or technical colleges in specific fields; with preference for financial need. |
Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship | Up to $55,000 | January 2026 (expected) | Community college students transferring to a four-year college; high-achieving with financial need. |
eQuality Scholarships for Community College Transfer Students | $6,000 | January 2026 (expected) | Residents of northern and central California or community college students in the region; demonstrated service to the LGBTQ+ community. |
U.S. Western Digital STEM Scholarships | Up to $5,000 | April 2025 (expected) | Students from underrepresented populations transferring from a two-year to a four-year university to pursue a STEM major. |
Chime Scholarship | Up to $5,000 | March 7, 2025 | Undergraduate students eligible for Federal Pell Grant with financial need and minimum 2.5 GPA; renewable. |
Roshan Rahbari Scholarship Fund | $5,000 | February 2026 (expected) | California community college students transferring to a four-year college; demonstrated community service and character qualities. |
How To Win Scholarships For Transfer Students?
Transfer student scholarships, like other scholarships, are extremely competitive, with most opportunities receiving much more applications than they can grant. To increase your chances of winning, it is crucial to create applications that are interesting. Here are some pointers for creating outstanding applications.
1. Discuss the opportunities at your incoming college.
When you change colleges, you can discover that both the things you are thrilled about at the new school and the things you disliked about your old one are motivating. Try to highlight the advantages of your new school in your scholarship essays rather than the drawbacks of your previous one. This enables organisations to see your goals for the remainder of your education. You’ll come across as more driven and enthusiastic. Talking about the things you disliked about your previous school could make you appear pessimistic or highlight your academic weaknesses.
2. Do your research
Researching the company that is granting the scholarship and carefully reading the scholarship listing are two of the finest methods to accomplish this. Find out what qualities and values they are seeking in a candidate, then highlight these in your application.
3. Write a great essay
To increase your chances, it’s also critical to polish your essays. We have a number of instructions on how to put together scholarship applications to assist you in this process. These include instructions on how to write a scholarship essay that wins, how to develop a personal narrative, and how to keep your work within the allotted 250 or 500 words. Additionally, we can help you create a scholarship resume and provide instructions on how to respond to some of the most frequently asked scholarship questions.
4. Make contact with your new school.
Additionally, make sure to inquire about any scholarships available to incoming transfers by getting in touch with the admissions and financial aid departments of the universities you are thinking about transferring to.
Is it hard to get scholarships as a transfer student?
It’s no more difficult to get scholarships as a transfer than it is as a freshman in college. As a transfer student, the college application process is nearly the same as what seniors in high school must do.
Likewise, submitting an application for a transfer scholarship is identical to submitting an application for any other scholarship program as a typical college student. All that has changed is that transfer students can now apply for transfer scholarships as well.
Only transfer students are eligible for transfer scholarships, which are forms of financial aid. Regular students are not eligible to apply for scholarships for transfer students because these programs are designed specifically to assist transfer students throughout their transition to college.
Like all other students, transfer students are eligible to apply for all additional scholarship possibilities. You can and ought to apply for additional scholarships as a transfer student, including merit, academic, major, and others. Look over this list of major-specific scholarships and submit an application for any that you qualify for.
Transfer students will not be treated any differently or more favorably than regular students when they apply for a normal scholarship. There is no difference in your chances of receiving financial aid from scholarship programs as a transfer student.
What school is best for transfer students?
The demands of each individual student determine which university is appropriate for transfer students. As previously said, transfer students may decide to move institutions for a number of reasons, all of which are contingent upon their individual circumstances.
Read this guide on college selection if you’re still undecided about which universities to apply to.
Based on the things they felt their current school lacked, transfer students should select the greatest fit for them. For instance, a student may think about moving to a school with more resources and smaller communities to support their wellbeing if they believe their current school is too academically competitive or unsupportive of their peers.
Making sure that students transfer to a school that offers the academic program they choose is crucial if they decide to do so because their academic interests have changed. When applying to colleges, transfer students ought to go through the same research process as seniors in high school.
Even if switching schools isn’t straightforward, students shouldn’t intend to do so more than once while they are undergraduates. You risk losing more college course credits throughout the transitions if you try to transfer more than once in four years, which would hinder your academic progress.
FAQ on Do You Need SAT Score to Transfer College?
1. What GPA do you need to get a full scholarship?
Since a full scholarship would pay for the majority, if not all, of your college expenses, it is typically a very competitive financial aid opportunity, and only students who exhibit academic distinction will be granted full scholarships.
2. What are scholarships for transfer students?
Financial aid programs designed to assist transfer students during their collegiate transition include scholarships. As they search for a better college, transfer scholarships can assist students in covering the cost of their new school and application costs.
3. What happens to scholarships when you transfer?
Transfer students are still eligible to apply for their new school’s help, federal financial aid, and transfer student scholarships. However, upon the student’s withdrawal from their previous college, any scholarships or packages offered by that institution will be terminated.
4: Do U.S. universities give scholarships to transfer students?
Yes, many U.S. universities offer scholarships to transfer students, including both merit-based and need-based aid. While options are more common for U.S. citizens, some universities also provide financial aid to international transfer students.
For example, the University of Southern California (USC) and University of Michigan offer dedicated transfer scholarships. Need-based aid is also available at selective institutions like Amherst, Cornell, and Dartmouth.
