Northwestern University is a private research university located outside of Chicago in Evanston, IL. It’s especially popular with students interested in communications or journalism, and offers students a classic college experience in a more urban setting. Northwestern is also a very competitive school, with the first year acceptance rate dropping to 7% over the last few years. With this drop, it’s safe to assume that Northwestern will be similarly competitive if you’re interested in transferring.
And it is safe to assume! Their transfer acceptance rate last cycle was 13%. That doesn’t mean you’re 2x as likely to get it, btw. To put it in more concrete numbers, that means out of approx. 3500 applicants, only 450 were admitted. That’s not a ton of people! With stats that competitive, you need to take every opportunity to make your application stand out. Let’s jump into everything you need to do to set yourself apart and have a competitive application to Northwestern.
Requirements
To be eligible to apply as a transfer, you need to be in the process of at least finishing your first academic year, which they measure as 24 semester hours. If you’re applying to the Theater major, they only “occasionally” have spots. If you want to transfer to the School of Music, you need to contact them directly to make sure there are openings and to schedule an audition.
They aren’t very… vocal about their transfer process, but let’s get into what we do know.
Here’s what you need to submit to Northwestern:
The Common App (or Coalition App)
Supplemental essays
Official college transcript
Official high school transcript
Academic evaluation
College Report
One academic recommendation
And the optional things:
Standardized test scores (optional but encouraged by us)
Common App Personal Essay
Resume
Up to three other letters of rec
Word to the wise, submit the optional things. We know it’s very annoying to write an all new Common App essay but it’s the smartest strategic choice you can make. A 13% transfer acceptance rate is low, so you need to take every opportunity to help yourself stand out.
Keep Your Academics on Track
It might seem obvious, but let’s say it anyway: you need to get excellent grades. We know, duhhh, but maintaining top-tier grades is one of the most important factors in giving yourself the best shot at getting accepted. It’s a 13% acceptance rate – grades are one of the first gates that might keep you from advancing. Now, you need to have great grades, but…
You also need to be taking the right classes. You do not want to just load up on all the fun elective classes that everyone gets an A in, because that doesn’t actually show you as a hard-working student who deserves to go to Northwestern. Your courses need to make sense with the major you’ve told them you want to apply to, which brings us to our next point.
Beyond grades and course selection, you should also focus on building a “niche” within your major. By now, you’ve taken some classes and know what you like and don’t like, so focus on the likes. A niche shows you’ve taken your academic interests seriously and taken the time to explore them. If you’re interested in communications, maybe you’re interested in research on how the American public consumes the news, or if you’re a bio major you’re particularly interested in ecology. Admissions committees want to see not just good grades, but a clear, intentional trajectory in your academic growth. So show them that!
Writing
Northwestern has two required supplements and one optional. They’re pretty standard essays – let’s jump in.
We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise? (fewer than 300 words)
This is a classic community essay (and kind of a diversity one too) and they ask it of their first-year applicants too. We have a very detailed guide on how to answer this question here.
As a transfer applicant, your biggest goal here is to use this prompt to Northwestern something about yourself that they don’t already know. That might mean writing about your family, or it could be zeroing in on a value or trait that you especially care about. Some students may feel an impulse to write about a trauma, but we want you to know you absolutely do not have to do that to get into college. Things that ‘shaped you’ can be positive, too!
Once you identify that community or value you want to talk about here, you need to connect it to Northwestern. You want to show Northwestern that you are an engaged student, and that you will continue that engagement once you’re on their campus.
Please share with us why you would like to transfer to Northwestern. (fewer than 300 words)
You may remember the “Why This College” essay from your first-year apps, and it’s back for a second round. This question is that with a transfer twist. Unlike your first time on the merry-go-round, you have more experience to draw from for this essay.
We understand you are probably transferring because you don’t like your current school, or maybe even had a bad experience. Please do not bash or talk down on your current school – instead you want to focus on what Northwestern can do for you and how they can help you meet your goals.
If you built a niche, like we told you to, then you should be able to connect what you’ve done and explored to what you will explore and do at Northwestern. You want to highlight how their offerings support these goals – maybe they have special labs, study abroads, classes, etc. that allow you to go even deeper int your interest. You want to convince them you’ve done your research and that they’re the best school for you.
This essay isn’t just about academics either. You don’t have a ton of space, and you also did write a community essay above, but try to bring in a community or culture element to end this essay. It can even be about being in Chicago versus the environment you’re in now, if that applies to you.
(Optional) Common Application Essay/Personal Statement
This is optional, but it’s not for you, person reading this. If you want to be competitive to Northwestern, you have to write this. The “prompt” is just all the regular Common App prompts, and we have a lot of blog posts about the Common App.
No matter which prompt you choose to write, we encourage you to take the essay less written approach. There are a lot of cliche topics out there, and you should be focusing on writing a unique story that highlights the things about you that you cannot quantify on paper. We know that’s easier said than done, but we help students do it every year.
Now… wait
Northwestern’s deadline is March 15th, and they notify students on a rolling basis. We know, we are annoyed by that too. Give us a real day! But, all that means is you just have to take a beat, relax, and wait to hear back. From experience, we can say you’ll hear back around May. Best of luck!
If you need help with your transfer applications, reach out to us today.