Much like the Ivy League colleges, Stanford, and MIT, the University of Chicago rejects many applicants who possess near-perfect (or perfect) test scores, grades, and extracurricular profiles. To further quantify this assertion, UChicago turned away 19 of every 20 applicants last year. Yet, for those who can’t bury their dream of studying at this legendary Hyde Park campus, the university does accept a reasonable number of transfer applicants each year. This blog will share the UChicago transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the UChicago transfer deadline, the requirements/checklist for applicants, the UChicago transfer decision date, and much more.

UChicago Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available University of Chicago transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

In the fall of 2021, there were 1,065 transfer applicants and 145 individuals were accepted. This means that the UChicago transfer acceptance rate is 13.6%. Broken down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:

  • Male transfer applicants: 14.0%
  • Female transfer applicants: 13.0%

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to also look at historical data. Some colleges have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rate from year to year. Unfortunately, the University of Chicago is not the most transparent institution when it comes to archived data. However, we do know that, in the recent past, the transfer admit rate was approximately 5%.

Regular Transfer versus Early Decision Transfer

The University of Chicago has a unique program called Transfer Early Decision (TED) that allows applicants a chance to commit to the university in the same manner as ED applicants during the first-year process. This is a binding commitment. It is expected that you will withdraw all other transfer applications upon acceptance.

All other applicants apply via Transfer Rolling Decision.

UChicago Transfer Deadline

The university only offers a fall option. The UChicago transfer deadline for TED fall applicants is March 1. The priority date for Transfer Rolling Decision is also March 1, but they technically accept applications all the way until June 1.

UChicago Transfer Requirements

The UChicago transfer requirements are as follows:

Students who have the best chance to gain admission to UChicago have done the following:

  • Completed at least one term of college credits.
  • Earned exceptional grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
  • Contributed to the field in which they are pursuing a degree. This could be academic or scientific research, other published works, etc.
  • Continuing from the last bullet, it is helpful to have a talent or accomplishment that will help you stand out from the crowd of other immensely accomplished applicants.

UChicago Transfer GPA

There is no minimum GPA stated nor is there an average GPA of accepted applicants that is publically available. In our experience, UChicago transfer hopefuls should aim for a 3.75 or above to have the strongest chance possible.

UChicago Transfer Writing Supplement

The University of Chicago Supplement requires one extended essay of your choice from our list of several prompts and one short essay on why you would like to attend the University of Chicago as a transfer student. For this second essay, transfer students will be asked to answer the following prompt (in approximately 500 words):

  • Please tell us why you are planning to leave (or have already left) your current college or university, and how the University of Chicago will satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future. Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.

UChicago Transfer Decision Date

The UChicago transfer decisions begin to be released in early May.

Final Thoughts – University of Chicago Transfer Acceptance Rate

We recommend taking advantage of the option to submit a “two-minute video introduction instead of the traditional college interview, which is not part of our application process. Your recording does not need to be extensively rehearsed or polished, and the video does not need to be edited.”

You should also strongly consider applying via Transfer Early Decision. This gives UChicago a guarantee that you will enroll if admitted and will give you a competitive edge over comparable applicants who do not utilize the TED option.

If you are 100% committed to leaving your current college, you’ll want to apply to other schools in addition to UChicago. Even if you have a 4.0, admission into UChicago is far from a guarantee, so you’ll want to create a balanced list of institutions that include safety schools.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to UChicago as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:

 

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).