Navigating the financial aid process can feel overwhelming, especially as a transfer student. You may be wondering how it works when you’re switching schools and what it means for the scholarships you’ve already earned.
Fortunately, scholarships for transfer students are an area of expertise at Athens State University, with plenty of resources to make your transition simple and affordable.
Here’s what you need to know:
Starting the Scholarship Process for Transfer Students
First, some good news: The financial aid process is similar at almost all accredited higher education institutions in the U.S. Here are the first steps you should follow to optimize your financial aid and scholarships as you transfer schools:
- Let your current school know your plans. You should inform the financial aid office at your current institution about your plans to transfer. They can help make sure your account is in good standing and work with you to cancel any upcoming aid disbursements, if necessary.
- Update your FAFSA. You will need to update your FAFSA form to include information about your new college or university.
- If you have federal loans, request a deferment. Once you leave your current institution, any federal loans you have will enter repayment. To avoid paying these loans while you’re still in school, you can apply for a deferment.
- Watch your deadlines. You’ll want to make sure you understand the process and deadlines for any financial aid applications you’ll need to submit to your new school.
It’s important to recognize that financial aid from your current school will not be transferred with you. This includes federal sources of financial aid. You’ll need to go through the steps above to re-apply for financial aid and scholarships at your new institution.
The possible exception to this is if you have scholarships or grants funded by an external organization, like a foundation, service organization, or corporation. If you have this kind of funding, be sure to find out if there are any rules that will prevent you from keeping your funding if you transfer.
The Types of Scholarships for Transfer Students
There are two kinds of scholarships you can apply for as a transfer student. Both can be robust sources of funding for your studies:
- Internal Scholarships for Transfer Students
These scholarships are offered by the school you’re applying to attend. What’s available and the number of scholarships for transfer students will vary depending on the program you’re interested in.
Some schools have few transfer students and focus most of their financial aid resources on incoming freshmen. However, there are also schools like Athens State that have designated scholarships specifically for transfer students.
You will need to research schools on your list to see the types of scholarships and amount of financial aid available to you from the school.
- External Scholarships for Transfer Students
There are also a large number of scholarships out there offered by organizations other than colleges and universities. Though many scholarships are oriented towards those just beginning their college career, there are still plenty of scholarships for transfer students and upperclassmen.
Try searching scholarships on databases such as BigFuture, Fastweb, and Scholarships.com.
Scholarships for Transfer Students at Athens State
Athens State is one of the few universities in the country that exists to help students complete their degree after starting their education elsewhere. We’re experts at helping transfer students transition smoothly to their new program.
We also dedicate significant resources to make completing your degree as affordable as possible, with multiple scholarships for transfer students available, including:
- Excellence Scholarships: Annual scholarship for first-time, undergraduate students, open to those with a cumulative GPA of 3.0
- ASSIST Scholarship Program: Support to cover tuition, books, housing, and transportation, open to those majoring in STEM
- Honors Program: Tuition scholarships plus unique opportunities, including funding to support an honors project, open to those with a GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Empowerment Scholarships: For undergraduates seeking their first bachelor’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and an SAI no greater than 6400, as determined by the FAFSA
- Foundation and Alumni Scholarships: Over 100 different endowed scholarships with varying awards and criteria
In addition to scholarships for transfer students, we’ll help you take advantage of the numerous federal and state grants that can help bring your education within reach.
Ready for the next step?
Explore our programs or get in touch with our admissions team for more information!