How much more difficult is it to transfer in than apply as a freshman?

[molliebatmit]

<p>In addition to the single-digit number of accepted transfers, it’s also difficult to transfer in due to the number and caliber of classes which are “strongly suggested” for a successful transfer applicant.

@&lt;a href="http://admissions.mit.edu"&gt;http://admissions.mit.edu&lt;/a&gt;

Yes. We recommend that prospective transfer students take a variety of mathematics and science courses before applying. We like to see you taking full advantage of your institution’s offerings in these areas. This includes one year each of college-level calculus and calculus-based physics, and one semester each of biology and chemistry. If you received advanced placement from high school courses, then you should enroll in the appropriate level for each of the disciplines mentioned above.

So it’s not just having a year’s worth of credit, it’s having the right sorts of credit to transfer into a science/engineering school.</p>

<p>The admissions site mentions additionally that successful transfer applicants generally have >700 on SAT Subject Tests and a college GPA above 3.5.</p>