Spain to California Transfer

Transfer Students
1

Hello, I have just finished my high school with a grade of 8,76/10 that is 3,5/4 in GPA, I guess.

I’m starting college in my country, Spain, in one of our 5 best universities. In the pre-college exam, I achieved 12/14.

I’m planning to study here my first year and then move to California, and the colleges I have checked are Berkeley, UCLA, University of California San Diego, University of California Irvine, University of southern California, and just to try, Stanford.

As an international student, I don’t know how easy would it be, but any tip will be appreciated. I plan to study this summer for the SAT & TOEFL exam, and then apply at the end of the year to these colleges, is that the right way to proceed?

I know that for international students is really hard to get there, and even with these low High School GPA, but also matters the College GPA, right? I’m starting here Informatic Engineering and I plan to move there to take the degree in Computer Science. Some of our colleges here offer one year to move to a California college, but I’d really prefer to study there as much degree as possible.

PD: I applied last fall to Stanford as freshmen but due to that I applied with little remaining time and the low admit percentage I got rejected. I should have applied to more than 5-10 colleges, not just one. In my last trip to the USA, I visited some of the universities in California, and I can say that they are just awesome.

Please tell me if there is anything impossible in my plan or should I do it in another way, or just forget about transfer there.

Thank you for your time

2

Is your family moving to California, or is it that you want to go there for college?

3

UCLA/UCB/UCI/UCSD accept Junior level transfers (90 quarter units/60 semester units) so you may have to attend a California Community college to have enough units to transfer along with the required transfer courses.

USC will accept 2nd year/Sophomore level transfers but you need to check out the requirements for their transfer admission.
Stanford had a 4.7% acceptance rate for Freshman this year and accepts very few transfers so consider this school a super reach especially if you have been rejected already.

If your family is moving to California, it might be in your best interests to take a GAP year and reapply as a Freshman or start a CC in California with a plan to transfer.

4

@happymomof1 I’m planning to do it alone, my family is not moving to California in no time. @Gumbymom Thank you for the stats. If I start the first year of college in Spain, and then I leave college, Am I considered as freshmen or transfer? The financial aid and acceptance rate are really different in transfer and freshmen, right? I know Stanford is almost impossible, but UCB is my favourite one (after Stanford) and followed by UCLA-UCI-UCSD. The financial aid in these public colleges if I’m not a USA citizen is almost inexistent?

5

If you start university studies in Spain, you will be a transfer applicant.

Financial aid is very difficult for international students. It is very difficult for transfer students. That means that it is extremely difficult for international transfer students.

Financial aid for international students is almost nonexistent at the public universities in California. Check each university website to find out if any aid is offered at all.

If you really want to study in the US, your two best options are:

  1. Take a Gap Year and apply as a freshman applicant to places that are likely to be affordable for you.
  2. Study at a university in Spain, and come to the US for a semester or year with an educational exchange.
6

If you do 1 year in Spain, then you are considered a transfer. For the UC’s, FA is basically non-existsnt for Freshman and Transfer non-resident students. You would be paying $55K/year to attend.
Since USC is private, FA/merit aid may be more generous.
UC’s give priority to in-state CCC transfers so attending a CA CCC before transferring to UCB may help. UC transfers acceptances are very GPA focused.

Not sure how you plan to pay for these schools without your parents assistance? I would get my undergrad degree in Spain and then apply to UCB for graduate school.

7

If you’re really interested in studying in the US, ask your university whether you could defer to take a gap year. This way, you’d preserve your freshman status, which is very valuable: even American transfers get less financial aid than freshmen, and most universities admit mostly freshmen. It’s much harder to get into any university as a transfer, and it costs more money, which is why freshman status is valuable.

UC’s will require you to have the equivalent of 120 ECTS… in other words, you’d apply Fall of your 2nd year and start your 3rd year there instead of at your current university.I don’t know whether you’d get equivalencies (credits) for your secondary school work. I know British students do for A-Levels, as well as German students for Abitur, and French students for Baccalauréat. This would allow you to apply earlier than for Fall 3rd year. Transferring in for a 3rd year would also be tough socially - arriving as a freshman is much better.

Do your parents have $110,000-120,000 to cover the last 2 years?

A score of 12 on the Selectividad is very high and universities would know that. What was your ACT/SAT score? Did you take subject tests? (If not, considering your selctividad score, go for broke and take Foreign Language, History, and both math2 and a science.)

If you’re studying Computer Engineering (or Computer Science), why don’t you apply to Cal Poly SLO and Cal Poly Pomona? If you try for Stanfod, why not try for HarveyMudd (and CalTech)?
Why California and not the many other excellent universities in the US?

8

Financial aid at UC’s is non-existent for any student who is not a CA resident. US residents of other states are full-pay just like an international student. Please look at other states unless you can afford full price.