If you aren’t happy at your current college and are thinking, “maybe Harvard would do that trick?” you aren’t alone. Harvard is objectively awesome as an academic institution for nearly any field. Dreaming of a transfer to Harvard is very different than actually executing on that dream, however.
The Harvard transfer acceptance rate is miniscule. Almost comically so. For the Fall of 2024, Harvard received 2,256 applications for transfer. They offered a spot to only 16, or 0.8%. Yes, less than one percent.
Becoming part of that 0.8% doesn’t take any one thing. Rather, it’s everything. You need to have exceptional academics, outstanding pursuits outside of the classroom, and a compelling case for why moving to Harvard is necessary for you to pursue your academic passion. It’s also important to note that while students from nearly any college can apply to transfer to Harvard, they specifically invite those from “similar liberal arts programs.” Most of the tiny number of students who get into Harvard as transfers come from colleges not all that dissimilar from Harvard, or have significant life experiences that spotlight their ability to handle a Harvard workload. Importantly, “candidates with a vocational, professional, technical, online, extension, or performance-based education do not ordinarily qualify for transfer admission.”
Harvard requires your high school transcript, at least one year of college grades (but no more than two), an essay, a “Statement of Good Standing” from your current college, and standardized test scores to consider your application. We can’t help you with your grades or scores, but we can guide you towards exceptional essays.
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The Harvard transfer application is, appropriately for Harvard, a big lift. It asks a lot of students, and not only academically. Harvard expects transfer applicants to have matured since high school, and that should show in your responses to their tough questions.
Did any time elapse between high school and college or have you left any school or college voluntarily for an extended period of time?
If not, they don’t require any further explanation. If so, they ask for “a detailed explanation” of up to 2,000 characters. We recommend students to focus less on using all of the available space and more on conveying key details with a focus on building the tools necessary to thrive somewhere like Harvard. This could include work experiences, military service, or another adventure. Whatever it is doesn’t have to align to what you want to study at Harvard, but it should illustrate relevant characteristics and skills, like time management, team mindedness, stress mitigation, and elasticity in the face of adversity.
Briefly, please indicate the most influential factors in your decision to attend your present college (for example, location, cost, size of student body, only option, special program offered, Early Decision plan, etc.) (Approximately 200 words)
This isn’t a question that most colleges ask of their transfer applicants. We commend Harvard for asking it, though, as your response can really help them understand the how your priorities and vision for your future have shifted towards what Harvard could offer. Don’t talk about Harvard in this supplement, though. Truly, you need to focus on the question. What drew you to your current school? It’s okay if you thought the college you are at was your dream school. It’s also okay if you were driven by external motivators, like family responsibilities, that no longer need to take precedent.
Briefly describe your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve. (Approximately 200 words)
Harvard isn’t asking why you want to be at their institution specifically in their wording, but they do want to know why you want to leave your current school. This should be communicated by building bridges between what you are missing at your current school and what you are hoping to gain access to at Harvard. This will then progress in your response to where you hope your education (and the related opportunities) will take you. Be as specific as you can be.
Yes, you only have 200 words. However, that isn’t an excuse to excise all emotion and story out of this supplemental essay — it still needs to be an essay. You need to tell a story that draws the reader into your personal story, making them invested in your present and future.
What alternatives to transferring to Harvard are you considering? (Approximately 200 words)
Another rare and tough question from Harvard! It is definitely not standard for a college to ask what you will do if they don’t let you in. But here Harvard is asking the hard question: if not Harvard, then what? Importantly, simply staying where you are isn’t a good option. Not that it wouldn’t work for you in actuality, but because it’s not very convincing for Harvard that you need them if your back-up plan is to stay where you are. We recommend students take a couple of days to think about this question before trying to draft. Ask yourself: If staying where I am isn’t an option and Harvard isn’t either, what would I do?
Please indicate your intended concentration and briefly outline your academic plans at Harvard College. (Approximately 200 words)
This is the most important piece of your transfer application to Harvard after your grades and scores. They will not let you in if they cannot envision yourself in the classroom. What clubs you want to join or dorms you want to live in do not matter for a transfer application to Harvard. Seriously, it does not matter to them. What matters is what you’ll do academically. After all, Harvard is a university. The point is to get a degree. So, what are you going to do?
Paint a picture of your imagined experience at Harvard, once again being as specific as you can be. Name the concentration, classes, a professor or two, and other academic opportunities, like research. Helping them imagine you there thriving will make it much easier for them to say yes to your application.
What are your current postgraduate/career plans? (Approximately 200 words)
Maybe you have dreamed of a specific job for years, or maybe you just have a loose idea of what would be fun in your wildest dreams. Either way, that’s okay. It’s normal, and perhaps even ideal, for young students to not think that their path is set in stone. Discovery is a core piece of the college experience: discovering interests, discovering potential, and discovering dreams. For the purpose of a transfer application, however, what Harvard wants to see is certainty.
In this short essay, paint a picture for Harvard of where you will be five years after walking across the Harvard graduation stage. Don’t look so far into the future that what you’re describing seems unlikely, and don’t dream so big that what you’ve proposed seems out of reach. Think about your vision here as continuing to build possibility in your life. If your dream is to lead cancer research, next you may be aiming for a graduate or medical degree. Or if your dream is to build a game changing business, perhaps you frame that within a plan for building skills and experience by working at businesses you admire and respect. Understand and embrace that you won’t have a corner office yet, nor a big title. The point isn’t to write a response that makes you sound fancy. Instead, focus on what the next step would be on your path towards your biggest goals.
Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? (Approximately 200 words)
If this question looks familiar, that is because you answered a lot of these when first applying to college back when you were a high school senior. As a transfer applicant, you now have more experiences and deeper perspective to bring to Harvard, so choose to focus on something more recent than you may have done in your first-year college applications. Share a specific experience from the last three years that helps you highlight core aspects of your individual perspective on life and community. Speaking broadly and in generalities will not serve you for this essay. You need to be specific and to build a strong narrative. This is a great place to really flex your writing chops, too, employing imagery, metaphor, or even dialog.
Harvard also requires that all transfer applicants submit an SAT or ACT score, and they expect them to be exceptional. Plan on retaking tests, which also means planning to prepare significantly in advance of the March application deadline. The Harvard transfer application is not, after all, something to tackle on a whim. If you’re going to do this, do it right.
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