Skip to main content

Transfer Students

Find application procedures specific to transferring college students.

Welcome!

Any student who has completed courses for credit after graduation from secondary school should apply via the transfer admission process. Northwestern has a vibrant transfer community and welcomes applicants from both 2- and 4-year institutions.

Applying as a Transfer Student

For more information about the process of applying and important dates, please visit our Application Deadlines page.

Early Decision Transfer

Northwestern offers transfer applicants two pathways to join our community: Early Decision (ED) Transfer and Regular Decision (RD) Transfer. By applying Early Decision, you commit to enroll at Northwestern and withdraw your applications from other schools if you are admitted.

Early Decision is a good fit for applicants who have identified Northwestern as their top choice; transfer applicants who choose ED send a strong, positive message of commitment to Northwestern. While our holistic review process will remain consistent across all applicants, we expect to see a higher acceptance rate for Early Decision Transfer applicants due to the high level of interest, the anticipated strength of the pool, and the strong alignment between candidates’ vision for college and Northwestern’s institutional values, academic culture, and campus community.

For students who apply for financial aid, the financial aid offer will be exactly the same whether you apply ED or RD. All of our financial aid is based on demonstrated financial need—to get a sense of your potential financial aid package, you can use our Net Price Calculator. Following admission, the Office of the Registrar will conduct a preliminary evaluation of your submitted transcripts, and you will receive a report that lists the courses accepted for transfer credits and the estimated total number of transferred units.

A Transfer Early Decision Agreement is required for Early Decision applicants and can be downloaded, completed, and uploaded to your Northwestern Applicant Portal.

Transfer Student Panel

We regularly host online panels for transfer students to share their experiences at Northwestern. For more information regarding upcoming events, and to register, visit our Explore Online page.

Questions?