Transfer Goat · Updated June 2026

University Transfer Acceptance Rates

Transfer acceptance rates for the 31 schools we cover most — from Harvard at 1.4% to UC Merced at 72.1%. Compare schools side-by-side in the table below, or click any card for the full breakdown.

Book a Consultation

31 schools tracked UC data refreshed Fall 2025 Refreshes every Aug + Dec
Schools Tracked
40
Active TG breakdowns
Most Selective
1.4%
Harvard · Fall 2023
Most Accessible
72.1%
UC Merced · Fall 2025
Last Updated
Jun 2026
Next refresh: Aug 2026
Quick Comparison

Compare university transfer rates by school type

Every school we cover, ranked by transfer acceptance rate. Use the chips below to filter by UC system, Ivy League, elite private, public top-tier, or liberal arts — or leave “All” selected to compare across categories.

School Category Acceptance Rate Details
HarvardIvy League1.4%
YaleIvy League2.6%
StanfordElite Private2.0%
DartmouthIvy League2.1%
PrincetonIvy League2.5%
WilliamsLiberal Arts3.2%
BrownIvy League4.2%
ColumbiaIvy League4.4%
Carnegie MellonElite Private5.8%
Johns HopkinsElite Private6.4%
UPennIvy League7.1%
AmherstLiberal Arts8.7%
SwarthmoreLiberal Arts9.2%
Boston CollegeElite Private12.7%
EmoryElite Private16.8%
CornellIvy League18.1%
USCElite Private21.6%
NYUElite Private21.9%
UCLAUC System22.7%
UC BerkeleyUC System24.0%
Notre DameElite Private27.6%
UVAPublic Top Tier33.0%
Georgia TechPublic Top Tier36.2%
UC IrvineUC System39.5%
UNC-Chapel HillPublic Top Tier45.0%
UC San DiegoUC System52.7%
UC DavisUC System57.0%
UC Santa BarbaraUC System58.9%
UC RiversideUC System68.2%
UC Santa CruzUC System68.8%
UC MercedUC System72.1%
NorthwesternElite Private1.3%
DukeElite Private1.9%
MITElite Private2.5%
WashUElite Private12.2%
GeorgetownElite Private13.2%
RiceElite Private16.8%
VanderbiltElite Private18.9%
University of MichiganPublic Top Tier42.0%
CaltechElite Private6.2%

How to read this table: Acceptance rate is the % of transfer applicants offered admission in the school’s most recently reported cycle. Lower = more selective. UC system rates are Fall 2025 (latest UC Admissions report). Private and Ivy League rates are from each school’s most recent Common Data Set.

UC System

9 campuses · Fall 2025 verified

UC Berkeley

Berkeley, CA
24.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1Most Selective UC

View Berkeley breakdown →

UCLA

Los Angeles, CA
22.7%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UCLA breakdown →

UC San Diego

La Jolla, CA
52.7%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UCSD breakdown →

UC Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA
58.9%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UCSB breakdown →

UC Davis

Davis, CA
57.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UC Davis breakdown →

UC Irvine

Irvine, CA
39.5%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UC Irvine breakdown →

UC Riverside

Riverside, CA
68.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UC Riverside breakdown →

UC Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA
68.8%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R1

View UC Santa Cruz breakdown →

UC Merced

Merced, CA
72.1%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
UC SystemPublic R2Most Accessible

View UC Merced breakdown →

Ivy League

8 schools · Most recent reported

Harvard

Cambridge, MA
1.4%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeagueMost Selective

View Harvard breakdown →

Yale

New Haven, CT
2.6%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2025
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View Yale breakdown →

Dartmouth

Hanover, NH
2.1%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R2

View Dartmouth breakdown →

Princeton

Princeton, NJ
2.5%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View Princeton breakdown →

Brown

Providence, RI
4.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View Brown breakdown →

Columbia

New York, NY
4.4%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View Columbia breakdown →

UPenn

Philadelphia, PA
7.1%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View UPenn breakdown →

Cornell

Ithaca, NY
18.1%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Ivy LeaguePrivate R1

View Cornell breakdown →

Elite Private Research

16 schools · Most recent reported

Stanford University

Stanford, CA
2.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1Highly Selective

View Stanford breakdown →

NYU

New York, NY
21.9%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2022
Private R1Urban

View NYU breakdown →

USC

Los Angeles, CA
21.6%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1California

View USC breakdown →

Johns Hopkins

Baltimore, MD
6.4%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1STEM-focused

View Johns Hopkins breakdown →

Carnegie Mellon

Pittsburgh, PA
5.8%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1CS / Engineering

View CMU breakdown →

Emory University

Atlanta, GA
16.8%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1Southeast

View Emory breakdown →

Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN
27.6%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Private R1Catholic

View Notre Dame breakdown →

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA
12.7%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2021
Private R1Catholic

View BC breakdown →

Northwestern

Evanston, IL
1.3%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateTop 10 National

View Northwestern breakdown →

Duke

Durham, NC
1.9%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateTop 10 National

View Duke breakdown →

MIT

Cambridge, MA
2.5%
Transfer acceptance rate · Recent cycle
Elite PrivateSTEMMost Selective

View MIT breakdown →

WashU

St. Louis, MO
12.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateTier-I Research

View WashU breakdown →

Georgetown

Washington, DC
13.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateCatholic-Jesuit

View Georgetown breakdown →

Rice

Houston, TX
16.8%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateTop 20 National

View Rice breakdown →

Vanderbilt

Nashville, TN
18.9%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Elite PrivateTop 20 National

View Vanderbilt breakdown →

Caltech

Pasadena, CA
6.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2024
Elite PrivateSTEMMost Selective

View Caltech breakdown →

Public Top Tier

4 schools · Most recent reported

UNC-Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC
45.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Public R1Flagship

View UNC breakdown →

UVA

Charlottesville, VA
33.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
Public R1Flagship

View UVA breakdown →

Georgia Tech

Atlanta, GA
36.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2022
Public R1Engineering

View Georgia Tech breakdown →

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI
42.0%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2022
Public Top TierPublic Ivy

View Michigan breakdown →

Liberal Arts Colleges

3 schools · Most recent reported

Swarthmore College

Swarthmore, PA
9.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
LACHighly Selective

View Swarthmore breakdown →

Amherst College

Amherst, MA
8.7%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
LACHighly Selective

View Amherst breakdown →

Williams College

Williamstown, MA
3.2%
Transfer acceptance rate · Fall 2023
LACHighly Selective

View Williams breakdown →

Transfer Goat

We’ve placed transfer students at every UC and every Ivy.

Our team works with one student at a time. We’ve helped hundreds of community-college and four-year students land at the schools they actually want — Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Penn, Columbia, Cornell, NYU, USC, Hopkins, Notre Dame, Williams. Pick a school above to see the data, then book a call to see if you’re competitive.

Ready to make a transfer plan?

One 60-minute call with a transfer consultant. We’ll look at your transcript, your prereqs, and your target schools — and tell you the truth about your chances and the fastest path.

Book a Consultation