University Transfer Students | Keep Your Scholarship When You Switch Schools

Last updated: 22 July 2026

Transferring universities does not automatically mean losing every scholarship.

It does, however, mean checking each award before you withdraw from your current school.

A scholarship funded by your present university will usually end when you leave. An external scholarship may follow you, but only when the sponsor permits it. Federal aid must be recalculated by the new institution, while state aid may be restricted to eligible colleges within the same state.

There is another possibility. Your new university may offer transfer scholarships that replace some or all of the funding you leave behind.

According to my research, students get into trouble when they treat “financial aid” as one portable package. It is really a collection of separate grants, scholarships, loans and work opportunities, each with its own rules.

The safest approach is to examine every award individually before committing to the transfer.

Important: Scholarship amounts, application dates and eligibility rules can change between admission cycles. Confirm the current terms directly with the scholarship provider and the new university. Do not withdraw from your present institution based only on an estimated award.

Your existing financial aid package does not simply move with you

The financial aid office at your current university cannot send your full aid package to another school.

The University of Kansas explains this plainly: financial aid cannot be transferred from one postsecondary institution to another. A student who remains eligible may receive federal aid at the new university, but the new institution must produce its own offer.

Read the university’s explanation of how financial aid works when a student transfers.

Your package may contain several types of funding:

A scholarship funded by your present university.
An outside scholarship paid by a private organization.
A federal grant.
A state grant or scholarship.
Federal student loans.
Work-study eligibility.
A tuition waiver.
A departmental award.

Each component must be checked separately.

Which scholarships are most likely to follow you?

An external scholarship has the best chance of following you because it was not created solely for students at your current university.

Examples include awards from:

Community foundations.
Employers.
Professional associations.
Charities.
Religious organizations.
National scholarship foundations.

Portability is never automatic.

The sponsor may restrict the scholarship to:

A particular institution.
A named state.
A specific major.
Full-time study.
An accredited four-year university.
A fixed number of semesters.

Ask the sponsor whether the award can be reassigned to the new school. Request the answer in writing.

Our guide to institutional and external scholarships explains why the source of an award determines who controls it and whether it can move.

Institutional scholarships normally end when you leave

An institutional scholarship belongs to the university that awarded it.

Even when another institution offers a scholarship with the same name, it is not the same award.

Your current university may call its award:

President’s Scholarship.
Dean’s Award.
Trustee Scholarship.
Academic Excellence Scholarship.
Institutional Grant.
Transfer Achievement Award.

The name does not make the scholarship portable.

The University of Cincinnati tells transfer applicants that institutional aid does not transfer and that the university cannot automatically match grants or scholarships from the previous institution.

The practical response is not to ask the new school to “move” the old scholarship. Ask which transfer scholarships, grants and tuition discounts may replace it.

Federal aid must be sent to the new school through the FAFSA

If you already submitted the FAFSA, add the new institution to the form.

Federal Student Aid instructs students to log in, open the submitted FAFSA and choose “Add or Remove Schools” from the actions menu.

See the official instructions for adding another college to your FAFSA.

The new university will use the FAFSA information to prepare its own aid offer.

That offer may differ because universities can have different:

Costs of attendance.
Institutional grant budgets.
Priority deadlines.
State-aid eligibility.
Packaging policies.
Work-study funds.

Receiving a Pell Grant at one university does not mean the new university will copy the entire previous package. The federal grant may remain available if you are eligible, but university grants, work-study and loans can be adjusted.

Cancel aid at the university you are leaving

Federal aid cannot be paid by two universities for the same enrollment period.

Tell your current financial aid office when you will stop attending.

Ask whether you need to:

Cancel future loan disbursements.
Decline a spring or fall aid package.
Complete an official withdrawal.
Repay aid already issued for classes you will not complete.
Complete student-loan exit counseling.

Do not assume that simply registering elsewhere cancels your old enrollment or financial aid.

An unresolved balance at your former university can delay transcripts and complicate your move.

State scholarships can be less portable than federal aid

State programs commonly restrict funding to residents attending approved institutions within that state.

A student moving from one eligible in-state university to another may be able to retain the award after completing the required transfer process.

A student moving across state lines may lose it.

Ask the agency administering the award:

Is my new university eligible?
Must I remain a state resident?
Is a transfer form required?
Does the award continue for the same number of semesters?
Will transferred credits count towards the program’s time limit?
Does my new enrollment level affect the amount?

Do not rely solely on the university. The state agency may control the final decision.

Your credits can be worth more than the scholarship

A generous transfer award does not always produce the lowest final cost.

Suppose University A offers a $10,000 scholarship but accepts only 45 of your 60 completed credits. University B offers $6,000 but accepts all 60.

If the lost credits add another semester, University A may become the more expensive choice despite offering the larger scholarship.

Illustrative comparison	University A	University B
Transfer scholarship	$10,000	$6,000
Completed credits accepted	45	60
Extra semester required	Possibly	No
Likely graduation delay	Higher	Lower

The example does not use the prices of a particular university. It shows why scholarship size and credit transfer must be reviewed together.

Ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before paying a deposit whenever the university provides one.

Understand how your new university counts academic progress

Federal Student Aid requires students to make satisfactory academic progress, often shortened to SAP, to remain eligible for federal aid.

The new university’s policy may consider how accepted transfer credits affect:

The percentage of attempted credits completed.
The maximum time allowed to finish the degree.
Your class level.
Scholarship renewal.
Eligibility for particular majors.

Federal Student Aid advises students to ask how transferring credits affects satisfactory academic progress.

Review the current information on remaining eligible for federal student aid.

Your previous GPA may be considered for admission and scholarship selection but excluded from the GPA calculated at the new university. Scholarship renewal rules can use either figure, so ask which GPA controls the award.

Nine scholarships and transfer awards to investigate

The opportunities below illustrate several transfer-funding models.

Some can be used at a broad range of universities. Others apply only to one institution, one state or members of Phi Theta Kappa.

They are not a ranking, and most are highly selective or restricted.

1. Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship is one of the largest national awards created for community college transfer students.

The award is last-dollar funding after institutional aid and can provide as much as $55,000 per year for two or three years at an accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the United States.

It may help with:

Tuition.
Required fees.
Books.
Living expenses.

For the cycle opening on August 19, 2026, applicants must generally be current students at an accredited two-year institution with sophomore status or recent graduates within the foundation’s specified period. They must plan to enter a full-time bachelor’s program in fall 2027, hold a cumulative college GPA of at least 3.50 and demonstrate unmet financial need.

Review the full award and eligibility rules on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation transfer scholarship page.

This is an example of a scholarship that is not attached to one named university. The recipient chooses an accredited four-year institution, subject to the foundation’s rules.

2. Hites Transfer Scholarship

The Hites Transfer Scholarship is offered through Phi Theta Kappa for members preparing to complete a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution.

The current award is worth up to $7,500.

Published eligibility includes:

Phi Theta Kappa membership in good standing.
Enrollment in at least six semester credits through December.
At least 45 completed semester credits by December.
A GPA of 3.5 or above for coursework completed within the specified period.
Plans to enroll full time at a regionally accredited four-year institution.
No academic suspension, probation or disciplinary action on the record.

The scholarship considers academic work, leadership and engagement in college and community activities.

See the current criteria on the Hites Transfer Scholarship page.

Phi Theta Kappa’s current application calendar lists December 1, 2026 as the deadline for the group of competitive awards that includes Hites. Verify the deadline when the application opens.

3. New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship

The New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship recognizes one high-scoring transfer-pathway applicant in each state.

The award is worth up to $2,750.

Students are selected using the All-USA Academic Team application. The highest-scoring eligible student in each state who plans to transfer is named the state’s New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar.

Current eligibility includes:

Enrollment in at least six semester credits through December.
At least 36 completed semester credits by December.
A GPA of at least 3.50 on coursework completed within the specified period.
Enrollment at a four-year college the following fall.
No previous nomination for certain related academic teams.
An academic record without suspension, probation or disciplinary action.

Read the current details on Phi Theta Kappa’s New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship page.

A New Century Scholar may also become eligible for university-specific awards. Some universities separately reward students who hold this designation.

4. St. Lawrence University Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

St. Lawrence University announced a renewable transfer scholarship worth $50,000 per year for eligible Phi Theta Kappa members.

The scholarship provides $25,000 per semester.

Published conditions state that recipients must be:

Phi Theta Kappa members.
United States citizens or permanent residents.
Admitted to St. Lawrence as transfer students.

The scholarship may be combined with need-based financial aid determined through the FAFSA, but it cannot be stacked with other St. Lawrence scholarships.

Read the 2026 announcement on the Phi Theta Kappa website.

A $50,000 award sounds enormous. Compare it with St. Lawrence’s complete cost of attendance, your need-based package and the number of semesters required after your credits are evaluated.

5. Frederick Douglass Scholarship at the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland’s Frederick Douglass Scholarship is for academically strong students transferring from a Maryland community college.

The award covers in-state tuition for four consecutive undergraduate semesters.

Current published eligibility requires:

Transfer from a Maryland community college.
At least 56 completed credits or an associate degree.
A cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
No previous attendance at the University of Maryland.
A completed admission application and separate scholarship application by March 1.

The university describes the selection process as competitive.

Review the current requirements on the University of Maryland’s merit-based financial assistance page.

This award does not follow a student to another university. It becomes available because the student is transferring to Maryland under the published conditions.

6. University of Alabama Community College Distinguished Scholarship

The University of Alabama offers automatic merit scholarships for eligible in-state transfer students.

For 2026, the Community College Distinguished Scholarship provides $3,000 per semester for four semesters.

Published criteria include:

A transfer GPA of at least 3.75.
At least 45 eligible credit hours.
Attendance at a two-year institution after high school.
Completion of the admission application and supporting documents by the relevant deadline.

The university’s admission application also functions as the scholarship application for many transfer awards.

See the current table on the University of Alabama’s in-state transfer scholarship page.

Students with a GPA from 3.50 to 3.74 may fall into a different automatic scholarship band. Check the current table rather than assuming one cutoff applies to every award.

7. University of Mississippi Transfer Academic Merit Scholarship 2

The University of Mississippi offers an automatic merit scholarship for eligible transfer students with strong college results.

Transfer Academic Merit Scholarship 2 currently provides $12,000 in total, paid as $6,000 per year for two years.

Published eligibility includes:

An overall transfer GPA of at least 3.5.
At least 30 transferable college credits.
Full-time enrollment.

No separate scholarship application is required. Students are considered through the University of Mississippi admission application.

The award can be stacked with the university’s Phi Theta Kappa scholarship under the current policy.

Review the current amounts and conditions on the University of Mississippi transfer scholarship page.

Automatic consideration removes one application. It does not remove the need to submit admission records before the university’s deadline.

8. NJ STARS II

NJ STARS II is a New Jersey merit scholarship for students who previously participated in NJ STARS, completed an associate degree and then transferred to a participating bachelor’s degree-granting institution in New Jersey.

The award currently provides $2,500 per academic year for as many as four semesters.

The program is narrower than a general transfer scholarship. Students must have followed the NJ STARS pathway and remain within New Jersey’s participating institutions.

Review the 2026 transfer information on the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority scholarship page.

This is a useful example of state aid that may continue during a transfer, but only when the student and destination university meet the state’s rules.

9. University of Central Florida Transfer Scholarship

The University of Central Florida offers transfer scholarships to students who earn an Associate in Arts degree from a Florida public state college and transfer directly to UCF for the fall semester.

The scholarship uses a separate application.

The current UCF page says:

The award is for eligible students transferring directly from a Florida public state college.
Initial enrollment at UCF must begin in the fall.
Dual-enrollment students earning an associate degree and high school diploma at the same time are not eligible for this transfer award.
The scholarship can be received for no more than four terms or until graduation, whichever happens first.

UCF has announced that the next transfer scholarship application will become available in late January 2027.

Check the latest application instructions on UCF’s tuition and transfer scholarship page.

The official page does not currently publish one universal award amount. Ask the scholarship coordinator what amounts are available for your entry cycle.

What the nine opportunities tell us

Opportunity	Broadly portable or restricted?	Primary restriction
Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship	Broadly portable	Community college status, achievement and financial need
Hites Transfer Scholarship	Broadly portable	Phi Theta Kappa membership and academic criteria
New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship	Broadly portable	State-level selection through the All-USA application
St. Lawrence PTK Scholarship	Institution-specific	Admission to St. Lawrence and PTK membership
Frederick Douglass Scholarship	Institution-specific	Maryland community college transfer to UMD
Alabama Community College Distinguished Scholarship	Institution-specific	In-state transfer, GPA and credit requirements
Ole Miss Transfer Academic Merit Scholarship 2	Institution-specific	Transfer GPA, credits and full-time enrollment
NJ STARS II	State-restricted	NJ STARS pathway and eligible New Jersey institution
UCF Transfer Scholarship	Institution-specific	Florida public college associate degree and fall transfer

Our data shows that six of the nine examples are tied to a named university or state pathway. Three can be used across a broader range of qualifying four-year institutions.

It also shows that none is awarded merely because a student transfers. Every one has another gate: grades, membership, financial need, residency, credit completion or admission to a particular university.

That is why a transfer student should search by personal eligibility rather than typing only “transfer scholarship” into a database.

Phi Theta Kappa can open a separate scholarship route

Several transfer scholarships are restricted to members of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society serving students at two-year colleges.

PTK says it partners with more than 800 four-year institutions offering member-exclusive transfer scholarships. Its current partner page reports an average annual scholarship above $4,500 and a median of $2,000.

See Phi Theta Kappa’s university partner scholarship information.

Membership does not guarantee an award.

Check:

Whether your current college has an active chapter.
Whether you have received an official membership invitation.
The membership cost.
Whether the destination university offers a PTK award.
Whether membership must appear on the transcript.
Whether proof must be submitted separately.
Whether the PTK award stacks with ordinary transfer merit aid.

A university may offer a small PTK supplement or a much larger standalone scholarship. The label alone does not reveal the value.

Scholarship stacking can change the result

Stacking means receiving more than one award at the same time.

A university may allow you to combine:

A transfer merit scholarship.
A PTK scholarship.
A departmental award.
An external scholarship.
Need-based grants.

Another university may replace one award when a larger scholarship is offered.

For example, St. Lawrence says its $50,000 PTK scholarship may be combined with need-based aid but not other institutional scholarships. The University of Mississippi says its transfer merit award may currently be stacked with its PTK scholarship.

Ask the new university:

Can these awards be combined?
Which scholarship is reduced first?
Can total aid exceed tuition?
Can the award pay for housing, books or fees?
How will an outside scholarship alter the package?

Read our article on how merit and need-based aid are calculated for a fuller explanation of why two transfer students can receive different offers from the same university.

A transfer scholarship may have an earlier deadline than admission

Being admitted does not prove that you met the scholarship deadline.

Transfer funding may require:

An early-action admission application.
A separate scholarship form.
The FAFSA by a priority date.
Proof of Phi Theta Kappa membership.
An official transcript showing completed credits.
A faculty nomination.
A portfolio or audition.

The University of Maryland, for example, automatically considers students for some transfer awards but requires a separate application for the Frederick Douglass Scholarship.

UCF also uses a separate transfer scholarship application.

Use one calendar for admission, scholarship, FAFSA, housing and transcript deadlines. Our guide to scholarship deadlines students commonly miss can help you build it.

Apply before your final semester grades are available

Many students wait until their associate degree is complete before beginning the transfer process.

That can be too late for priority scholarships.

A university may evaluate you using:

Completed college credits.
Courses currently in progress.
An unofficial transcript during the first review.
A final official transcript after admission.

Ask whether your award can be reconsidered when final grades arrive.

If your GPA will move into a higher scholarship band after the current semester, find out whether the university automatically reviews the updated transcript or requires a written request.

Departmental scholarships may become available after admission

The central transfer scholarship is not always the final funding opportunity.

Academic departments may offer awards for:

Declared majors.
Students entering upper-division coursework.
Research projects.
Internships.
Professional examinations.
Travel or conference attendance.
Students from particular regions or backgrounds.

Some departmental funding is available only after you have enrolled.

Ask the program coordinator:

Does the department offer transfer-student scholarships?
Can incoming transfers apply immediately?
Are students selected through nomination?
Does the scholarship require a minimum number of credits completed at this university?
When will applications open?

Our guide to finding department-specific scholarships covers the offices and search terms students often overlook.

Community college students should search before graduation

Your community college may have transfer agreements and scholarship partnerships that disappear from view after you graduate.

Useful contacts include:

The transfer center.
The honors program.
Phi Theta Kappa advisors.
The financial aid office.
Your academic department.
The alumni or foundation office.
Faculty members who write transfer recommendations.

Ask for a list of universities with:

Automatic transfer scholarships.
Guaranteed admission pathways.
Full-tuition transfer competitions.
Articulation agreements.
Application-fee waivers.

Our article on community college scholarship opportunities provides another place to continue the search.

Do not assume a private university will be unaffordable

A public university may have the lowest published tuition, particularly for residents.

A private university may provide a larger transfer scholarship or institutional grant.

St. Lawrence’s PTK award is an example of a private institution using a large scholarship to recruit transfer students.

The only useful comparison is net cost:

Total cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships equals estimated net price before loans and work earnings.

Include:

Tuition.
Required fees.
Housing.
Food.
Books.
Transport.
Health insurance.
Course-specific costs.
The cost of any extra semester.

Our public versus private university comparison explains why the lower advertised price does not always produce the lower final bill.

Renewal rules deserve as much attention as the first award

A transfer scholarship may last one semester, one year or the remaining time needed to complete the degree.

Renewal can depend on:

Full-time enrollment.
A minimum university GPA.
A set number of credits completed each year.
Remaining in an eligible major.
Submitting the FAFSA annually.
Continued financial need.
A maximum number of semesters.

A transfer student has less room for error because many awards last only four semesters.

If a required course is unavailable and graduation is delayed, the scholarship may end before the degree does.

Ask whether the award continues when you:

Study part time.
Take summer courses.
Change majors.
Study abroad.
Take medical leave.
Need a fifth semester.

Build a four-semester funding projection

A first-year offer does not show what the degree will cost.

Consider this fictional transfer package:

Item	Year one	Year two
Total cost	$34,000	$36,000
Transfer scholarship	$8,000	$8,000
Need-based grant	$6,000	$4,000
Amount remaining before loans	$20,000	$24,000

The scholarship remains the same, but the cost rises and the need-based grant falls.

The family pays $4,000 more in the second year.

From my experience reviewing transfer scholarship pages, students often focus on whether an award is renewable without asking whether its dollar value rises when tuition increases.

A fixed scholarship can remain technically renewable while covering a smaller portion of the cost each year.

Questions to ask your current scholarship provider

Can this scholarship be used at another university?
Which institutions are eligible?
Do I need written approval before transferring?
Will the payment be sent to me or the new university?
Does the award amount change with the new cost of attendance?
Must I remain in the same major?
Will a semester between institutions affect eligibility?
What documents must the new university provide?
What is the deadline for requesting the change?
Can I receive the award for the same number of remaining semesters?

Questions to ask your new university

Which transfer scholarships am I automatically considered for?
Which awards require separate applications?
What is the priority admission deadline?
How many of my credits will count towards my degree?
Will my previous GPA be used for scholarship renewal?
Can transfer awards be stacked?
How will an external scholarship change my institutional aid?
Does state aid apply at this university?
What full-time enrollment level must I maintain?
How many semesters will the scholarship cover?
Can it be used for summer courses?
What happens if I change majors?
Is funding available through my academic department?
When will I receive a final aid offer?
Can I request reconsideration after final grades arrive?

Use our guide to questions universities may not answer unless you ask when comparing transfer destinations.

Warning signs before you commit

Pause when:

The university will not provide a written credit evaluation.
The scholarship amount is described as an estimate without a final notification date.
Renewal requirements are missing.
The award applies only to tuition but is presented as covering the complete cost.
You are told that an outside scholarship will “probably” transfer without confirmation from the sponsor.
The university combines loans and scholarships under one aid total.
The offer assumes credits that have not yet been accepted.
A large award lasts only one year.
You must pay a nonrefundable deposit before receiving the final aid package.
The transfer requires an extra year that is absent from the cost comparison.

Ask for clarification before withdrawing from your current school.

A transfer timeline that protects your funding

Six to twelve months before transferring

Research universities and articulation agreements.
Check which credits are likely to transfer.
List every current scholarship and grant.
Ask outside sponsors about portability.
Record admission and scholarship deadlines.
Join or verify Phi Theta Kappa membership where applicable.

Three to six months before transferring

Submit admission applications.
Complete separate scholarship forms.
Add prospective universities to the FAFSA.
Request official transcripts.
Ask for preliminary credit evaluations.
Apply for departmental and external scholarships.

Before accepting an offer

Compare net prices.
Confirm how many credits count towards the degree.
Read every renewal condition.
Check how outside awards affect institutional aid.
Estimate the cost through graduation.
Get scholarship decisions in writing.

After choosing the university

Notify the old financial aid office.
Cancel aid for periods you will not attend.
Complete withdrawal procedures.
Send final transcripts.
Arrange payment of portable outside scholarships.
Confirm enrollment and scholarship acceptance with the new university.

The scholarship you keep may not be the scholarship you started with

Most university-funded scholarships remain with the university that awarded them.

That does not mean transferring always makes financial sense only when your old scholarship follows you.

You may replace it with:

A transfer merit scholarship.
A PTK award.
A state transfer program.
A departmental scholarship.
A larger need-based grant.
A lower net price at the new institution.

The amount printed on the scholarship certificate is only one part of the decision.

Credit acceptance, graduation time, housing, fees and renewal rules can change the result by far more.

Start the financial review before submitting your withdrawal.

Separate institutional aid from external awards. Add the new university to your FAFSA. Ask the state agency about portability. Get a written credit evaluation and compare the cost through graduation.

You may not be able to carry your old scholarship across campus lines.

With enough preparation, you can avoid leaving one award behind without finding out what the new university was prepared to offer.

University Transfer Students | Keep Your Scholarship When You Switch Schools | 9 Scholarships