If you are dreaming of a transfer to New York University (NYU), you almost certainly have big dreams. NYU is a school for big dreams in a city fueled by passion, hustle, and creativity. NYU attracts young people with a vision for the future, and the transfer program isn’t any different. If anything, the dreams are even bigger because transfer students tend to have greater clarity on their life goals and academic path.
NYU received more than 10,000 applications for transfer for the fall of 2024, and only admitted 2,243. While isn’t a sky high acceptance rate, it is much higher than the first year acceptance rate, which was only . This comes at a time when getting into top schools as a transfer is much harder, often, than as a first-year applicant. For NYU, transfer still offers a bit of a ‘back door’ into some NYU programs, particularly the College of Arts and Science (CAS). Students who weren’t strong candidates for NYU as high school seniors can, with a year or two of strong grades under their belts, make a strong case for acceptance.
The trade off, though, is that CAS requires prospective transfers to declare their major when they apply. This is because a big part of transfer candidacy is whether there is space available in the program(s) that you want to pursue. Do not assume that you can pick what looks like a less competitive program, and then simply change your major once you are on campus. Transfer students have to jump through additional hoops — and often additional semesters of college — should they want to shift direction once enrolled.
Getting into NYU as a transfer requires a strong strategy. Get yours.
Before you can apply to transfer to NYU, you need to select which college you are applying to transfer to within NYU — and there are a bunch of options. Two of them, Steinhardt and Tisch, require an audition or portfolio, too. The list, though, goes far beyond that. You can also apply to Gallatin, Global Liberal Studies, Meyers College of Nursing, the School of Professional Studies, the Silver School of Social Work, Stern School of Business, Tandon School of Engineering, or, of course, the most popular undergraduate school at NYU: The College of Arts and Science (CAS). NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai currently accept transfer students. It should also be noted that transfer admission to Stern School of Business is extremely competitive, and go to students who are already enrolled at NYU, but are transferring between colleges.
Some application requirements change based on the college, like with the portfolio, but below we are breaking down the essay that is most commonly required for Fall 2026 admission to NYU as a transfer.
THE TRANSFER ESSAY
Please provide a statement that addresses your reason(s) for seeking transfer and the objectives you hope to achieve. How can NYU and the particular school, college, program, and/or area of study you are applying to support those goals? (2500 character maximum)
Applying as a transfer is a lot like applying as a first year. There are recommendations, grades, and scores. But the essay is different. They want to get to know you, but there is an additional facet to it: this isn’t your first shot at finding your perfect program. They put significant weight on not only your dreams, but your actions. You need to have a clear vision of who you are and where you are going — and already be working to get there. Add on to this that they want to know why you can’t pursue this dream where you are already. Transferring just to move to a more competitive school is not a compelling pitch. NYU does not accept students simply because they want to make a prestige play. There needs to be a convincing reason for why you need NYU to achieve what you are aiming for.
This means investing time into research that goes beyond the Google AI summaries (which are often completely wrong anyway if you haven’t already noticed). Research the major, in particular, taking note of professors that would augment your academic experience and classes that would introduce you to relevant new ideas and perspectives. Your supplement shouldn’t become a ‘best of’ list, but it should be chock full of evidence of effort and make it abundantly clear to the NYU admissions officers that you know and want exactly what it is they offer academically.
The best way to set up your vision for your time at NYU is to make it clear why you want to transfer in the first place. This shouldn’t be a big part of the supplement, at most a paragraph, but it is important. What it can’t be, though, is petty. You may have a slew of reasons for why you do not like the school you are at right now, but NYU doesn’t need to know if you hate the social scene or think all your classmates are idiots. Including such things may be true to your experience, but including them would hurt your chances of transfer acceptance. Instead, focus on program. Maybe your academic passion shifted in a way your current school can’t support, or perhaps a professor at your current school is even encouraging the NYU transfer. Whatever your personal reasons, your academic path takes precedent here.
So, you start with your reason, you build with your objectives for your time at NYU. What comes next? The best way to end the supplemental essay for NYU is with your dreams for the future beyond your time at the university. Keep this short, three sentences at most, and think about what comes in the 5 years after graduation. Putting yourself in a corner office may be the eventual dream, but help NYU see what the next step on your path will be.
In addition to your Common Application, you are required to submit a slew of things like transcripts from high school and college, recommendations, and school reports. You are required, though, to send in SAT or ACT scores. Standardized testing is optional for transfer applicants, but we highly recommend submitting strong scores if you have them.
Big dreams take big work. We can help.