Transferring and Applying Private/Out-of-State
Transferring and Applying to Private/Out-of-State Institutions (POST)
Private and out-of-state schools can be a great option for transfer students. An average of 160 Chabot students transfer to private/out-of-state institutions every year.
Planning for Transfer to POST
Tips for exploring, researching, and planning for transfer to POST institutions:
- Ways to connect include:
- Utilize the Transfer Center's Connect with Universities and identify transfer representative contact, prospective transfer student information sessions, and transfer admission requirements.
- Attend annual Transfer Day where many AICCU (non-profit, private, regionally accredited institutions throughout California) as well as a handful of out-of-state institutions visit Chabot College.
- Learn about Historically Black Colleges and Universities Transfer Guarantee and access HBCU transfer schools.
- Regional Admissions Counselors of California - RACC is composed of admissions representatives who represent institutions outside of California but reside in California so they can work with prospective students like you and help you explore transfer options to their institution.
- Minimum units that define a student as a transfer applicant
- Major preparation for your intended university major. This is best found on the university catalog or department webpages.
- Admitted transfer student profiles on admitted gpa, units, etc..
- College Transitions has data on transfer admit rates by institution.
- Rugg’s Recommendations - Unlike university rankings that are reported out by the U.S. News & World Report, Rugg’s Recommendations presents its rankings of programs and institutions based on the undergraduate major. This is great for students who want to explore and find transfer schools that are strong in a particular major and academic program across the United States. Please reach out to Transfer Center Counselor Frances Fon at ffon@chabotcollege.edu with your areas of interest for this resource.
- Unlike CSU and UC Campuses that house articulation agreements in ASSIST, private/out-of-state (POST) institutions do not have a repository of articulation agreements so developing an education plan may require more research.
- Partner with your counselor to interpret articulation agreements for the major, general education or breadth or core. As a start, visit Transfer Articulation for a list of articulation agreements but you can google and search by institution.
- Consider searching for name of the institution + net price calculator (example: University of Southern California net price calculator)
- Attend a Transfer Center workshop on Transfer Students and Financial Aid.
- Review resource page on Transfer Student Financial Aid.
Applying to POST
Most out-of-state public universities should have an application similar to that of the CSU or UC where multiple campuses utilize the same application platform and students would not have to re-enter the same information over and over again.
Private institutions may have different applications. A tip is to research the application options for your intended private institution. Some institutions have their own application because it is shorter and free! Others may choose to be a member of The Common Application where it may not be free, but, The Common Application and The Common Application for Transfer is a universal application a student can complete to apply to multiple private colleges and universities across the United States. Instead of filling out a separate application for each private college, you can duplicate your Common Application and prepare it for another private institution. View and search a list of colleges that participate in The Common Application.
The Common Black College Application is similar to the Common Application in that it allows students to apply to multiple HBCUs with one application instead of a separate application for each HBCU. If you are considering transfer to HBCU, make sure to see if your HBCU is part of the California Community College Transfer Guarantee to HBCU and work with your counselor to secure that guarantee and apply up to four partner CCC-HBCUs for free.
To seek consideration for an application fee, consider asking the private institution directly. If they are not able, ask if they will accept a NACAC Application Fee Waiver. (Please review NACAC Application Fee Waiver FAQ for the process.)
The parts to an application for a private college can vary from institution to institution so it is really important students research each college’s transfer admission and application requirements. In particular, it is the writing prompts that appear to vary the most. Remember to give yourself plenty of time to gather information and make necessary requests to submit your best and complete application to the university.
Private/Out-of-State Transfer Events
Notes for The Common Application for Transfers
- Chabot College CEEB Code: 004725.
- Recommenders: When required as part of the application, it is highly recommended that students secure the person’s support to be your Recommender before you send the invitation to complete the recommendation within The Common Application for Transfers. More information and tips may be found at Understanding the Recommendation Process.
- College Report:
- Complete the Enrollment Verification form .Under the section "TYPE OF INFORMATION TO BE VERIFIED (check one)", select Complete the attached inquiry form.
- If you are applying to multiple schools, you will need to submit one enrollment verification form and College Report for each institution.
- Email ccarcom@chabotcollege.edu with the completed Enrollment Verification form and College Report. Chabot College Admissions and Records will postal mail the College Report to the university mailing address you provide on the Enrollment Verification Form.
- Verify Before Completing Forms: Not all institutions require all of the supplemental forms available for download on the Common Application. And some institutions may require additional supplemental forms or documents. Please review the Common Application for Transfers Program Materials section, your college or university website thoroughly for this information.
Application Resources and Support with The Common Application
- Reference The Common Application Guide for Transfers or
- View The Common Application for Transfer Tutorials
- For Your Recommenders: Reference Recommender Guide
- The Common Application Tookit for Transfers
- Chabot College College Board CEEB Code is 4725
- NACAC Application Fee Waiver
- Recommend reviewing the NACAC Application Fee Waiver FAQ for the process.
- Difference between Common Application vs Coalition Application
- Drop-in with Transfer Center Counselors for one-on-one application support under Part 1 of Transfer Application Workshops webpage.
- Common App Help Center
A Perspective from an Alumna
A Perspective from a Chabot student who transferred to a private out-of-state institution (Northwestern University, Fall 2016)
Start early. Unlike UC or CSU transfer application, which is a single online application, the Common Application has many components which cannot be completed just by you, an applicant. To submit a couple of letters of recommendation, the College Report, the Transfer Mid-Term Report, the High School Transcript, the College Transcript, SAT/ACT test scores along with the online Common Application successfully, you need cooperation from Chabot College’s staffs and professors, your high school teachers, parents or test administrators, who are not under your control.... One thing I recommend you to do in order to organize this application process is to make a checklist with deadlines.
Expand your options by applying to several universities. Even though you have your own dream school, I discourage you from applying only to that one school....Once you are accepted to a couple or more schools, you will have plenty of time to make a thoughtful decision on which university you will attend by comparing pros and cons of those schools you get in.
Find out the estimate cost of attendance of the university you are applying to and the amount of financial aids the university offers to its students. I believe getting into a school will not guarantee you a satisfying university life. Your financial difficulty should definitely not discourage you from getting special education you deserve. However, knowing the estimate cost of attendance of university you are applying to will actually allow you to have a better plan to pay for your college education. Many students do not realize that private institutions also offer a substantial amount of financial aids and scholarships, so don’t be scared by their high cost of attendance.
Questions? Contact Transfer Counselor/Instructor Ms. Frances Fon at ffon@chabotcollege.edu.