A key factor that may seem obvious but is easy to forget: the school you end up at is the school where you’ll earn your degree.

That’s important because any college credits you earn need to work for you when you get there. So the more you get clear about your end game, the more you can plan so that what you take NOW will count toward your graduation from your target school.

Not sure what your plan is? Steps 2 and 3 can help you refine, but here are 3 starting places:

• Look at Palomar College’s How to Choose your Transfer University checklist.
• If you have one or more target schools in mind, research what programs they have to support transfer students.
• If you’re at a community college, look into whether your state has a pipeline program. For example, the University of California has a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program guaranteeing qualified students admission to a UC.

There are a lot of programs and people out there to help you navigate the transfer process.

• many colleges have a transfer advisor or a whole transfer office dedicated to helping you—they will often hold events to help you prepare and info sessions, including for specific schools
• academic advisors/counselors can help you get started and also work with you to map out your education plan in a way that accommodates your plans (or the fact that your plans aren’t settled yet!)
• don’t overlook any informal advisors you have, either, like a favorite professor, EOP advisor, or other college staff

And finally, look into resources at your target school(s). At minimum, you’ll want to be following along with their transfer admissions procedures and information!

Depending on the relationship between the schools you’re transferring from and to, it can be fairly easy or very hard to figure out which college credits earned at your current school (or elsewhere) can be applied toward your degree at your transfer institution.

Credits might be accepted as direct equivalents (a course you’ve taken counts as a specific course at your transfer school) or applied toward graduation requirements more generally (a course you’ve taken counts as overall credit hours, or hours in a general education category). Also, if you’re transferring between quarter and semester schools, keep in mind that classes are worth different numbers of credit hours.

Especially for state schools, you can usually find this information online (California’s is assist.org). Search online for “articulation agreements” or “transfer credits” plus your state or your relevant schools’ names. There are also national databases like transferology.com or collegetransfer.net

This can be confusing—remember to ask your support resources for help if you need it!

Although they’re not the same thing, transfer applications can be similar to regular college applications and require things like transcripts, recommendation letters, and personal essays. Your transfer school will be most interested in how you’ve been doing at your current school and in your reasons for transferring.

Make sure to apply for financial aid as well, for each school you’re applying to. If you don’t qualify for FAFSA, see if your state has alternatives like those in California and New York.

Make sure to pull out your best organization skills to keep track of what you need to turn in and when your deadlines are—and give yourself plenty of time to work on your application(s)!

You should hear back from schools you applied to in March or April (but double check on your school’s website; some have different timelines). Start preparing to make your move ASAP.

• if you’re choosing between schools, visit campuses if possible, or attend virtual info sessions and take virtual tours
• turn in your Intent to Register form to officially accept the admissions offer from the college of your choice
• keep an eye out for your financial aid award info and get in touch with your new school’s financial aid office if you haven’t heard back
• create and work on your checklist of other to dos: sign up for transfer orientation; apply for housing; arrange for transcripts and other records to be sent to your new school; talk to an academic advisor; register for classes
• enjoy your new school and all it has to offer!