If you’re nervous about your admissions chances, you might be considering your options for transferring. Something like: “If I don’t get accepted into my dream law school, can I just do well during my 1L and then transfer up?”
In 2019, a total of 2,396 students transferred between law schools, so it isn’t uncommon. But as you can see in the chart below, most of the T14 schools admit very few, if any, transfer students. Georgetown is an outlier, so you might want to add that school to your target list if you’re considering a switch!
Transferring is certainly an option if you perform extremely well, and it’s a worthy goal. It’s risky, however, to automatically assume that it will be possible. Do you really want to gamble on the fact that you’re going to immediately adapt to law school, understand the grading, master a very difficult curriculum, and perform better than most of your peers (don’t forget that grading is based on a curve)?
Our advice: Make sure that you pick an initial school that you would be happy to graduate from. That way, even if you’re not able to transfer, you’ll still be content with your time and financial investments.
Good luck!
| School List | JD1 Transfers In | JD1 Transfers Out | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| American University | 2 | 49 | -47 |
| Western State College of Law | 1 | 40 | -39 |
| George Washington University | 74 | 34 | 40 |
| Golden Gate University | 3 | 31 | -28 |
| Western Michigan University | 2 | 27 | -25 |
| Barry University | 1 | 25 | -24 |
| Touro College | 3 | 24 | -21 |
| California-Hastings, University of | 3 | 20 | -17 |
| Fordham University | 21 | 19 | 2 |
| Depaul University | 1 | 18 | -17 |
| Brooklyn Law School | 5 | 17 | -12 |
| Catholic University of America | 1 | 17 | -16 |
| Loyola University-Chicago | 0 | 16 | -16 |
| Emory University | 16 | 15 | 1 |
| St. Thomas University (Florida) | 5 | 14 | -9 |
| California-Irvine, University of | 2 | 14 | -12 |
| Maryland, University of | 7 | 13 | -6 |
| Florida A&M University | 0 | 13 | -13 |
| Widener University-Delaware | 0 | 13 | -13 |
| Loyola Marymount University-Los Angeles | 41 | 12 | 29 |
| Rutgers University | 21 | 12 | 9 |
| Southwestern Law School | 8 | 11 | -3 |
| Charleston School of Law | 4 | 11 | -7 |
| Richmond, University of | 4 | 11 | -7 |
| Tulane University | 3 | 11 | -8 |
| Detroit Mercy, University of | 0 | 11 | -11 |
| William And Mary Law School | 0 | 11 | -11 |
| Washington University | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| Seattle University | 9 | 10 | -1 |
| Michigan State University | 2 | 10 | -8 |
| Vermont Law School | 2 | 10 | -8 |
| Miami, University of | 20 | 9 | 11 |
| Florida State University | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| George Mason University | 6 | 9 | -3 |
| Santa Clara University | 3 | 9 | -6 |
| California Western School of Law | 2 | 9 | -7 |
| New England Law | Boston | 2 | 9 | -7 |
| New York Law School | 2 | 9 | -7 |
| Samford University | 0 | 9 | -9 |
| Pepperdine University | 14 | 8 | 6 |
| Seton Hall University | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Nova Southeastern University | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| California-Davis, University of | 7 | 8 | -1 |
| Baltimore, University of | 4 | 8 | -4 |
| Suffolk University | 3 | 8 | -5 |
| South Texas College of Law Houston | 1 | 8 | -7 |
| University of Buffalo-Suny | 1 | 8 | -7 |
| Ave Maria School of Law | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| Southern University | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| Hofstra University | 26 | 7 | 19 |
| San Diego, University of | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Cornell University | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Stetson University | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Widener-Commonwealth | 2 | 7 | -5 |
| Western New England University | 1 | 7 | -6 |
| Florida Coastal School of Law | 0 | 7 | -7 |
| Mercer University | 0 | 7 | -7 |
| Washington And Lee University | 0 | 7 | -7 |
| Wisconsin, University of | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Washington, University of | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Syracuse University | 5 | 6 | -1 |
| San Francisco, University of | 4 | 6 | -2 |
| Thomas Jefferson School of Law | 1 | 6 | -5 |
| Mississippi College | 0 | 6 | -6 |
| Georgetown University | 105 | 5 | 100 |
| New York University | 51 | 5 | 46 |
| Mitchell|Hamline | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Cardozo School of Law | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Chicago-Kent College of Law-Iit | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| Utah, University of | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| Arkansas, Little Rock, University of | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| Boston University | 2 | 5 | -3 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Drexel University | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Indiana University - Bloomington | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Ohio State University | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Texas Southern University | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| Willamette University | 1 | 5 | -4 |
| California-Los Angeles, University of | 34 | 4 | 30 |
| Arizona State University | 22 | 4 | 18 |
| Chapman University | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| Texas At Austin, University of | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Indiana University - Indianapolis | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Pace University | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Wayne State University | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Denver, University of | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Minnesota, University of | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| West Virginia University | 3 | 4 | -1 |
| Illinois, University of | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Notre Dame, University of | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Oklahoma City University | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Gonzaga University | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Idaho, University of | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Villanova University | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Atlanta'S John Marshall Law School | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Colorado, University of | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Howard University | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Louisiana State University | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Louisville, University of | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| Florida, University of | 40 | 3 | 37 |
| Northwestern University | 34 | 3 | 31 |
| Chicago, University of | 27 | 3 | 24 |
| Lewis And Clark College | 12 | 3 | 9 |
| Memphis, University of | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| North Carolina, University of | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Saint Louis University | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Arkansas, Fayetteville, University of | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| South Carolina, University of | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Akron, University of | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| City University of New York | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Inter American University of Puerto Rico | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Nebraska, University of | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Northern Illinois University | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| St. Mary's University | 2 | 3 | -1 |
| Capital University | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Connecticut, University of | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| St. Thomas, University of (Minnesota) | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Texas Tech University | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| Case Western Reserve University | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Creighton University | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Dayton, University of | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Northern Kentucky University | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| UNT Dallas College of Law | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| University of Nevada - Las Vegas | 24 | 2 | 22 |
| Vanderbilt University | 13 | 2 | 11 |
| Temple University | 12 | 2 | 10 |
| Georgia State University | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| Southern Methodist University | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| Mississippi, University of | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Southern California, University of | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh, University of | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Pennsylvania State - Dickinson Law | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Loyola University-New Orleans | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Cincinnati, University of | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Faulkner University | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Regent University | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Roger Williams University | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Washburn University | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Maine, University of | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Toledo, University of | 1 | 2 | -1 |
| Montana, University of | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Quinnipiac University | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| University of La Verne | 0 | 2 | -2 |
| Columbia University | 44 | 1 | 43 |
| Harvard University | 43 | 1 | 42 |
| Michigan, University of | 14 | 1 | 13 |
| Pennsylvania, University of | 11 | 1 | 10 |
| Boston College | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| Alabama, University of | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| Mcgeorge School of Law | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Texas A&M University | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| New Hampshire University of | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Brigham Young University | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Hawaii, University of | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Missouri, University of | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| New Mexico, University of | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Oklahoma, University of | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Oregon, University of | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Georgia, University of | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| John Marshall Law School | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| North Carolina Central University | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Appalachian School of Law | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Concordia Law School | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Drake University | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Iowa, University of | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kentucky, University of | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Liberty University | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Marquette University | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Belmont University | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Elon University | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Pontifical Catholic University of P.R. | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| South Dakota, University of | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Virginia, University of | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Wake Forest University | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Wyoming, University of | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| California-Berkeley, University of | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Florida International University | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Yale University | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Houston, University of | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| St. John's University | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Missouri-Kansas City, University of | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Cleveland State University | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Northeastern University | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Stanford University | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Duke University | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| North Dakota, University of | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Puerto Rico, University of | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Tennessee, University of | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Kansas, University of | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Ohio Northern University | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Campbell University | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lincoln Memorial | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tulsa, University of | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Albany Law School of Union University | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona Summit Law School | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona, University of | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baylor University | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duquesne University | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania State - Penn State Law | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Valparaiso University | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Whittier Law School | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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