Can I transfer in the middle of the semester?

Question

This is my 4th year and my final semester. Unfortunatley an incident happened and I do not want to finish my semester here....can I transfer mid-semester to another college and

a.) finish with the credits i am taking this semester
b.) have the financial aid i received this semester transfer over to the new school?
c.) how would I go about this whole process?

Answer 1

Is there absolutely no way that you can graduate from where you are? Because transferring to another reputable school at this point is going to set you back. All reputable, accredited schools will require you to complete a certain number of credits with them - usually 1-2 years' worth.

So, with that in mind, to your questions:

1) You can not transfer mid-semester. I know of no accredited schools that do this. You'd have to wait to start the new school next semester, although you would apply now. If you abandon your studies at your current school, you can't slide into the same classes at a new school, mid-semester. However, I have heard of a few universities which start their Spring term in March. If you can find one of those, and the stars aligned, you might be able to stop attending your current uni and start the new uni in March. But you'd still have to spend a certain number of semesters at the new uni in order to graduate from them.***

2) Again, because you can't transfer mid-semester, the issue of the aid is moot. If you decided to transfer there for next term, you'd need to submit financial aid paperwork for that school. The new school's financial aid office can give you guidance with that.

3) If you did decide to transfer, you'd need to first identify a school which is still accepting applications from transfer students for next term. You'd then contact their admissions office and submit the appropriate paperwork. For you, that would include the application form and an official copy of your college transcripts.

Good luck.

***If I can dig out the schools whose terms seem to start in March, I'll edit this and put the list at the bottom, here. You'll need to check into the schools re: accreditation and quality, and transfer policies. Also check their websites to be sure that they really do have terms starting in March, since I'm doing this quickly:

- Union University, in Schenectady, NY
- Mars Hill College, in Mars Hill, NC
- Bennington College (starts end Feb.), in Bennington, VT
- University of St. Augustine, St. Augustine, FL
- St. Joseph's U, in NY
- Iona, in NY
- Governor's State U, IL
- Northeastern U, in MA

Otherwise, you're looking at starting in the summer or the fall.

Answer 2

You can only transfer at the beginning of a semester. I mean, you can probably start the switch now, but you can't start classes at the new college in the middle of a semster, just like you can't start a class at your current college in the middle of a semester.