Better late than never

Each year, several dozen students leave the Princeton community for various reasons. Rather than allow such spots to remain empty, the University ought to allow transfer applicants to apply for them. Were Princeton to do so, it would surely receive thousands of applications each year, allowing the University to enroll several types of students who could contribute tremendously to campus life. One such group is students who originally enrolled at two-year or community colleges due to socioeconomic constraints but who have demonstrated extraordinary potential. More generally, the University community would gain students who in their first years of undergraduate work have made superlative contributions to their field of study or their community.

While a transfer program would place additional burdens on the Admission Office's staff, admitting students with diverse backgrounds who have demonstrated a commitment to academic and extracurricular excellence and who would be able to take advantage of the University's vast resources would make Princeton stronger. Furthermore, that so many of our peer institutions have decided that the administrative effort required by such a program is justified suggests that accepting such students is logistically feasible and, indeed, beneficial.

Beyond the question of feasibility, many argue that a transfer program would damage campus and class cohesion. This is highly unlikely, as the scope of this program would be extremely small, and a few dozen students are unlikely to make a significant negative difference. From an academic perspective, the University could ensure that transfer students would be able to complete independent work at Princeton and meet distribution and major requirements by admitting only rising sophomores and juniors. Finally, even if the University ultimately decides that cohesion is the paramount value, it could still permit students who have previously studied elsewhere to apply for admission as freshmen.

By pursuing this measure, Princeton will demonstrate its recognition that what unites its student body is not just their time of arrival on campus, but instead their commitment to a liberal education, academic excellence and the University community. Transfer students would be a booster shot for the campus community, and whatever slight irritation they might cause is far outweighed by the healthy diversity they would add to the student body.