New Common App data offers a first detailed look at self‑supported transfer applicants: financially independent transfers are disproportionately first‑generation, carry higher financial need, and present more complex academic records than their peers. The profile challenges institutions to craft tailored advising, financial packaging, and schedule-flexible pathways to retain these students through degree completion. Admissions teams and transfer offices will face operational demands to assess nontraditional transcripts, verify financial independence, and design targeted supports—especially as transfer enrollments remain a key recruitment channel for many public and regional campuses. The data implies a need for improved coordination between financial aid, registrar, and student-success units to avoid bottlenecks that disproportionately affect independent transfers.