What makes you competitive to transfer? Some statistics
Fi the dog - Johannesburg, South Africa
Don't fall asleep on the competition! Let's take a look at who applies for transfer.
The admissions rate for transfer is about the same as first-time freshman: around 35-45% depending on the year and the number of spaces available. Transfer admission isn't necessarily more or less easier than first-time freshman, just different.
In 2015, UT enrolled 7,743 first-time freshman and 2,516 transfers. About 1/3 came from junior/community colleges and 2/3s from other four-year universities. 8,179 applicants sought entry into 3,499 spaces yielding a 43% admissions rate.
Contrast with 2014 where more people applied - 8,515 - competing for less spaces - 3,056 - for an admissions rate of 36%. It is impossible to predict how many spaces university-wide or in specific majors will be available in a given year. It isn't something you can control.
I have mentioned before that attempting to transfer has the added advantage of a "fresh start" where your high school grades and test scores are not considered. They are concerned only with your college GPA.
Unsurprisingly, UT provides little information about what the typical successful transfer applicant looks like. They cite the average admitted GPA as 3.5.
When I worked for UT, they provided more data publicly. The average applicant then was around a 3.3 and the average admitted student between a 3.5-3.6 depending on the year.
That average will change significantly depending on your major. Data disclosed from the McCombs School of Business indicates that their typical admit has a 3.9 GPA. They admit less than 15% of applicants each year.
Previously, The Cockrell School of Engineering also transparently disclosed their external transfer data, but they don't anymore. Their typical admit was around a 3.7-3.8.
The College of Natural Sciences is transparent about their transfer profiles. Their average student has between a 3.6 and 3.7 GPA depending on the year. For some majors like Computer Science, the typical admit will have higher grades.
For many of the other majors and programs, like Liberal Arts, Communications, Social Work, and Education more A's than B's is a good rule of thumb. The cutoff I use to take on transfer clients, for example, is generally a 3.5 depending on the major.
If you have a 4.0, you are nearly guaranteed admission to the program of your choice excepting maybe business, engineering, and architecture.
Nevertheless, the transfer process is more than just your grades.
They also read every essay and resume submitted. It is important to put forward your best effort on your application to be as competitive as possible. My next few posts will go into more details on crafting a strong application.
Need help transferring? Get started today by filling out this questionnaire.