Whether you’ve been at a two-year school until now or your first four-year school didn’t work out, finding the right school to transfer to can be daunting. But we’ve made the process easier for you by curating lists of amazing colleges to transfer to! In this list, we’ve gathered colleges and universities in the Northeastern US that go above and beyond for transfer students by supporting them throughout the process, maintaining great transfer credit policies, and offering transfer-specific opportunities like welcome events and scholarships. The best part is you can get in touch with every college on this list right from this page. Just click the green “Connect me” button below a school to send your CollegeXpress information and have them reach out to you. Start finding your next-step school now!
Carlow University
Carlow University is a church-affiliated liberal arts college on a 14-acre campus in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—just 10 minutes from the downtown area. The University is composed of two colleges and is primarily concerned with women’s education, though a small number of men are also admitted. Carlow offers resources and support for traditional undergraduate transfer students, including tutoring, academic coaching and advising, financial aid and registration assistance, 24/7 tech support, health & wellness services, accessibility accommodations, and more.
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America, the national university of the Catholic Church, is located in Washington, DC—just north of Capitol Hill. With more than 3,000 undergraduate students, 2,4000 graduate students, and a 10:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from more than 70 undergraduate programs across 12 schools. CatholicU offers four scholarships for transfer students—including the Catholic University Scholarship valued up to $24,000—and accepts up to 60 credits from previous institutions.
Drew University
Drew University is a private comprehensive institution on a wooded campus in Madison, New Jersey—30 miles from New York City. Undergraduates can choose from more than 40 majors, 60+ minors, 18 dual-degree programs, and 17 pre-professional programs, with at least two required immersive experiences to help build résumés and explore interests. Drew makes the transfer process easy with generous merit scholarships, transfer admission counselors to answer any questions, Instant Decision Day appointments, and generous credit transfers.
Fordham University
Fordham University, the Jesuit University of New York, is a private university with one campus in the Bronx (adjacent to the Botanical Gardens and Bronx Zoo) and another in Manhattan (next to the Lincoln Center arts complex). With an enrollment of around 16,000 students and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, Fordham offers students more than 60 programs to choose from, including honors programs, research symposia, dual-degree programs, and more. Up to 60 credits with a grade of C or higher may be transferred into the University, and transfer students can submit applications by two deadlines: November 1 for spring semester and June 1 for fall.
Geneva College
Geneva College is a private church-affiliated liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania—45 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. With over 1,400 students and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate majors and programs. Geneva allows an unlimited number of credits to transfer from both two- and four-year colleges and offers the Dean’s Scholarship, Tower Scholarship, and Ferncliffe Grant to transfer students who have and maintain a certain GPA requirement.
Georgian Court University
Georgian Court University is a private church-affiliated liberal arts university on a campus designated a National Historic Landmark in Lakewood, New Jersey—60 miles from both Philadelphia and New York City. With 2,411 students and a 12:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from more than 35 undergraduate and 10 graduate degrees. Georgian Court allows the transfer of at least 75 community college credits—sometimes more depending on a student’s situation—and has been recognized on the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll.
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Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York—only 25 miles east of New York City. With over 10,000 total students and a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, transfers can choose from over 160 undergraduate, 170 graduate, and 100 dual-degree programs across Hofstra’s diverse schools and colleges. The University also offers a flexible policy to maximize credit transfer and considers transfers on a rolling basis, although students should apply early to qualify for available scholarships and on-campus housing.
Holy Family University
Holy Family University is a private comprehensive university in northeast Philadelphia, with additional locations in Bensalem and Newtown, Pennsylvania. With more than 3,100 total students, including 300+ students transferring from community and four-year colleges each year, the University offers 40 undergraduate programs and 600+ courses. In addition to resources like personalized Transfer Days with admission counselors for transcript review and other assistance, Holy Family offers generous transfer scholarships ranging from $10,000–$14,000, plus an additional $2,000 for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society members.
Iona University
Iona University is a coeducational liberal arts institution founded in the Roman Catholic tradition and located in New Rochelle, New York. With approximately 4,000 students on campus and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from 60 combined programs of study. Iona offers rolling admission throughout the year only to transfer students; “Transfer Tuesdays” where you can meet current students, tour campus, and speak with a counselor about transfer credit; and the ability to enter the University with junior status if you’re transferring with an associate degree and a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Kean University
Kean University is a public university in Union, New York—only 12 miles from New York City. Over 16,000 students (35% of whom are transfers) benefit from a 17:1 student-faculty ratio, enrolling in 50+ undergraduate and 70+ graduate programs. Kean has been recognized by the Phi Theta Kappa Transfer Honor Roll for the last five years and partners with numerous community colleges to ensure the ease and maximum transfer of college credits.
Marymount Manhattan College
Marymount Manhattan College is a private liberal arts college in midtown Manhattan, New York. Approximately 2,000 undergraduates from 48 states and 50 countries are enrolled in 31 majors and 40 minor and pre-professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, communications and media arts, and the performing arts. MMC is very generous with accepting transfer credits, allowing as many as 60 credits from two-year institutions and 90 from four-year colleges.
New York Institute of Technology
New York Institute of Technology is a private technological university in Old Westbury, Long Island, and Manhattan with campuses in other states and countries. NYIT’s nearly 8,000 students represent 72 countries and 40 states and study in more than 90 technology-infused programs. The Institute offers a generous transfer credit acceptance policy that ensures students get the credit they deserve and dedicated transfer advisors who help them find the quickest and most rewarding path to graduation.
Rowan University
Rowan University is a selective public research institution in southern New Jersey—between Philadelphia and Atlantic City—with campuses in Glassboro, Camden, and Stratford. With more than 19,000 students between all campuses and a 17:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from more than 100 majors and take advantage of Rowan’s two medical schools. The University allows transfers to receive admission decisions based on unofficial transcripts and the transfer of up to 90 credits.
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick
Rutgers University is a public research university with three major campuses in New Jersey, the flagship of which is in New Brunswick. With 36,000+ undergraduate students and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from over 100 undergraduate majors, some of which include coursework completed at 175+ research centers. Rutgers accepts up to 60 transfer credits from two-year institutions, three generous transfer-specific scholarships, and transfer-specific living-learning communities.
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Rutgers University—Newark
Rutgers University—Newark is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, the public research university of New Jersey. With more than 12,000 students from 119 countries and a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, transfers to the Newark campus can choose from more than 65 undergraduate majors. The University also offers ongoing transfer advisory support, Instant Decision Days, scholarship and financial aid options specifically for transfers, and an easy registration process.
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Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private church-affiliated university in South Orange, New York—only 14 miles from New York City. With an undergraduate enrollment of more than 5,900 students and a 14:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from over 90 programs, including the highly ranked Business Leadership program, and have access to more than 17,000 internship opportunities. Seton Hall accepts up to 90 transfer credits and offers generous financial aid and scholarship opportunities specifically for transfer students.
St. John’s University
St. John’s University is a private Roman Catholic university in Queens, New York. With over 21,000 total students and a student-faculty ratio of 16:1, the University offers more than 100 programs that are built on an “options-oriented” core curriculum. St. John’s accepts up to 90 transfer credits from previous institutions and also offers an up to 40% discount on tuition for transfer students, plus a Transfer Distinction Award scholarship valued at $20,000 for those with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or an associate degree.
Stevenson University
Stevenson University is a private coeducational university in Stevenson, Maryland. With approximately 3,000 full-time and 600 part-time undergraduate students and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio, transfer students can choose from more than 90 majors, minors, tracks, and pre-professional programs. Stevenson also offers guaranteed admission to students transferring from a community college with an associate degree, plus personalized support with transfer-specific advising and an average transfer scholarship of $18,000.
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
SUNY Polytechnic Institute is a public institute of technology with campuses in Utica and Albany, New York. The Institute is comprised of five colleges that offer programs in Applied Community & Behavioral Health, Computing, Biology, Cybersecurity, Health Information Management, Nursing, Psychology, and more. SUNY Poly offers a generous transfer policy for students, with up to 76 semester hours from two-year schools and 94 from four-year schools, as well as a rich campus life with 40+ clubs and 12 intramural sports.
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Oneonta is a public multipurpose liberal arts and sciences college in Oneonta, New York. A member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, transfer students make up 30% of the College’s student body and study in more than 100 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs. Oneonta offers transfer-student support through Transfer Living communities—which include mentoring and special programs—as well as opportunities for undergraduate research, student-faculty interaction, and a reasonable cost of attendance.
Thiel College
Thiel College is a small private church-affiliated college on a 135-acre campus in Greenville, Pennsylvania—80 miles north of Pittsburgh. With a student body under 1,000 and 61% of classes with fewer than 20 students, the College offers more than 60 majors, minors, and areas of study, including five-year dual master's and bachelor's programs. Aiming to make the transfer process as smooth as possible, Thiel welcomes transfer students for both the fall and spring semesters and allows the transfer of up to 94 credits from accredited two- or four-year institutions.
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh is a comprehensive public university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pitt has five campuses, with the Pittsburgh campus having the largest enrollment of 19,000+ students, a student-faculty ratio of 14:1, and more than 100 majors, minors, and certificate programs. The University offers a holistic admission process, guaranteed admission to certain programs, articulation agreements with numerous colleges, and multiple transfer scholarships as well as the transfer of up to 60 credits from community colleges and up to 90 from four-year schools.
Waynesburg University
Waynesburg University is a church-affiliated liberal arts university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania—60 miles from Pittsburgh. With over 1,300 undergraduates and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, the University offers more than 70 major concentrations, including Business Information Science, Children & Youth Ministries, and more. Waynesburg supports transferring students through three distinct scholarship programs—the Transfer Honor Scholarship, the Transfer Scholarship, and the Transfer Opportunity Award—with awards up to $8,000.
Want to learn about even more great transfer-friendly colleges around the country? Check out our featured Transfer profiles page!