Who Makes a Good Transfer Student?
As with freshman admission, the Yale Admissions Committee is mindful of two questions when reviewing transfer applications: “Who is likely to make the most of Yale’s resources?” and “Who will contribute most significantly to the Yale community?” These considerations require an evaluation of applicants that is more complex than simply looking for students with the highest GPAs. Given the large number of extremely able candidates who wish to transfer to Yale and the very limited number of transfer spaces, no simple profile of grades, scores, and interests can assure a student admission to Yale. The admissions staff considers each application individually and tries to get as full a sense of the applicant as possible. Please keep in mind that admission to the transfer program is much more competitive than freshman admission. Yale College receives approximately 800 applications each year and admits between 18 to 35 candidates, depending on the number of spaces available. This reflects an admissions rate of between only 2% to 4%. |
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As Yale is above all an academic institution, academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in the application is the college transcript. Successful transfer applicants present evidence of exceptionally strong college performance in demanding courses. The average GPA of admitted transfer students is usually 3.8 and above. The Admissions Committee will also take high school performance and standardized testing into consideration.
Many students wish to transfer out of their current colleges because they are unhappy with their college experience, but the Admissions Committee expects that candidates have a clear and well-defined reason for transferring to Yale College. The Admissions Committee seeks candidates who feel that Yale provides them with unique educational opportunities that are not available to them at their present colleges. Transfer candidates should use the application essays to tell the Admissions Committee how they would take advantage of Yale if they were given the opportunity to attend.
The Committee also gives serious consideration to such qualities as motivation, curiosity, energy, leadership ability, and distinctive talents. The personal essays, as well as evaluations from college faculty members, deans, and secondary school counselors provide a great deal of insight into these qualities. We hope to find students who have made significant contributions to their college or local community. Students may transfer from private or public colleges, and two or four-year institutions, though the Admissions Committee does give special consideration to those transfer candidates with community college experience or military service. Diversity within the student body is important and the Committee works very hard to select a class of able and contributing individuals from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible.
