Is it possible to transfer into a respectable university from a not so respectable university?

By respectable it doesn't have to be an Ivy or a top 10 school but lets say you are a student with a good but not outstanding high school record, you end up going to a tier 3 or tier 4 university.





At that university you get a very high GPA, do a lot of things (participate in community and everything), and you get a very high SAT score (2250+). You apply as a junior transfer (just for those that don't know, it is when you apply as a transfer during your second year of college).





Now if your high school record is respectable but not Ivy caliber and you do extremely well at the university you attend, would it be possible for you to transfer to a top 40 university or even an Ivy?





Yes or no?





Also please READ the question, I did not say it had to be an Ivy, tier 1 is good enough. Thank you. I am particularly interested in going out of region (transferring from a university in the southeast to one in the northeast).|||Yes, did it myself. So far I have been accepted into the University of Maryland at College Park, Georgia Tech, UConn and UGA as a transfer. I am looking to get into more schools.





Just concentrate on getting the highest possible GPA in college, do a lot of activities on campus like volunteer jobs and clubs and aim for a really high SAT score.|||Yes, admissions after one and two years of study elsewhere happen all the time. Check to see if your prior coursework can be transferred before you apply.|||Sure - people do this all the time.





First you need to find a few schools in the area you want that have your proposed major and also are accepting students with your qualifications. While it is not tracked as closely as entering freshmen, there are a few free online services that give a good indication. Princeton Review has one - I usually use College Matchmaker from the College Board. The web address is listed below.





Most schools have some vacancies as the years go by. However, you are not the only one applying to the good schools so keep in mind that this is all somewhat of a crap shoot. And it does not always make sense. I have one grad student who transferred as a Jr. He was denied by SUNY-Binghamton, but accepted by Cornell. Go figure!!





It depends so much on how many students already dropped out - in some ways, all you can do is apply to a number of places and just wait.





Good luck to you.|||Well as for the Ivy League College the question is "who's your daddy?" and a lot depends on what degree you're persuing. My opinion: if you transfer to a "higher" school your going to lose about half of all your credits in the transfer because they don't align with thier standards and then spend 4+ more years getting your degree because you have to retake all those classes. And that's if you get accepted ,not into the school, but the program. You'd be better off just getting your degree and start making some $$ instead of paying more in for not better results.