How to Transfer Schools: An Online Guide for Students in Healthcare

Accreditation

Accreditation matters greatly when choosing any healthcare education program. Accreditation means a school or program has been evaluated by an independent accrediting body and has been found to meet certain standards for a quality education. Attending a school that is not accredited can lead to all sorts of problems, including:

• Ineligibility for federal financial aid
• Difficulty transferring credits
• Trouble getting into graduate programs
• Inability to obtain licensure or certification
• Inability to gain employment in the healthcare field

Admissions: Can I Get in?

Admissions officers will want to make sure you are a good fit for their school and they will evaluate your potential transfer credits and other important factors to ensure you have the preparation necessary to succeed in the new program. A grade point average will speak for itself, but there are other things an aspiring transfer student can do to ensure they are ready to transfer. Here are a few things you can do to better your chances of admission into your transfer program:

• Stay in close contact with admissions and transfer officers.
• Show that you have completed prerequisite courses.
• Demonstrate a great GPA and forward motion in pursuit of the degree.
• Offer fresh letters of recommendation from current professors.
• Inability to gain employment in the healthcare field

Cost: Can I Afford it?

There are certainly costs associated with transferring from one school to another. However, there are also financing options in place that can make funding the program transfer possible. Below are a few financial considerations to keep in mind when transferring your healthcare program:

• Tuition
  Each school will have its own tuition and its own policy for financing the tuition. Some traditional schools charge tuition on the semester schedule, while some online schools might charge tuition per course so you can pay as you go. Depending upon your particular situation, your transfer might include out-of-state costs, which can be much higher than in-state costs. Keep in mind that no matter the situation with tuition, there are often financial aid options that can help with your bottom line.
• Scholarships
  Though transferring from one school might mean losing scholarships that were school-specific, students can often find new scholarships at their transfer school. Some of these scholarships will be program-specific or school-specific, while others will be designed specifically for transfer students. This can help cut down on some of the out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees when switching schools. To learn more about what’s out there, check out our healthcare scholarship guide.
• Articulation Agreements
  Articulation agreements are designed to help make transferring credits easier. These agreements are made between two or more schools, often in the same region. They lay out the transfer policies between the institutions, thus making sure everyone knows what to expect. These agreements can make transferring easier and much less costly for students, and can eliminate the need to re-take courses along the way.

For more information of financing your college transfer, jump to our detailed section below.

Credits: Will They Transfer?

There are risks when it comes to transferring credits from one school to another. In some cases, not all courses will transfer, and that can lead to students taking courses again, thus costing more time and money. Sometimes schools will allow only 50-75% of credits to transfer, so a student who is almost at the finish line at the first school might find themselves taking extra semesters at their transfer school. Considering the following points can help you prevent loss of transfer credits when it’s time to move to a new school.

• Core Equivalency
  These courses are those that practically every college student will take, often referred to as “core classes”. These include things like English, mathematics, social studies, history, and so on, often taken during the first semester or two of any program. These foundational courses will typically transfer with no problem from school to school. In some cases, core equivalency courses in healthcare programs will focus on the foundational experience, including those in statistics and anatomy. These will also likely transfer with little issue.
• Core Waivers
  Core waivers are usually given to students who express significant aptitude in a particular subject. For example, someone who is fluently bilingual will likely not have to take a required course in a foreign language as long as they can demonstrate their abilities. Transfer students should always look at the potential core waivers to determine how many they might eligible for. It’s also important to remember that articulation agreements may waive core requirements if a student has met these core requirements at another school.
• Core Substitutions
  What happens if a core course doesn’t transfer? Students can petition to get core classes transferred if they feel the course content is similar enough to the core class at their new school. These are different from core waivers in that it is asking the school not to assess knowledge a student already has, but to assess a course and determine whether the knowledge gleamed from it might deem it as an equivalent of what the transfer school offers. It’s always a good idea to request a core substitution before committing to a particular class to avoid wasting time.
• Quarter vs. Semester Transfers
  When transferring from a semester system to a quarter system or vice versa, students should always try to speak with a transfer counselor at the transfer school to determine just how much of their credits will transfer and what courses those credits will apply to. Some schools offer a free transcript evaluation to help you get a firm idea of what your final transfer credits will look like.