Cost Constraints / Budget
Uncertain; financial aid and scholarships are significant factors. Aware that most U.S. schools offer limited aid to international students but interested in any exceptions.
Intended Major(s)
Computer Science
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.7
Weighted HS GPA:
Class Rank: not provided
SAT Scores: 1470(RW 670+Math 800)
*Not sure about the SAT - it came from the Bluebook Practice 4. It was my first ever time trying the SAT, which means I’ve never studied for it.
Coursework
No APs yet, but planning to take up to four or five AP exams this year:
Calculus BC
CS A
Physics C
Biology
Earth Science(tentative)
Awards
KLO(Korea Linguistics Olympiad): HM & Bronze
APLO(Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad): Silver, aiming for additional APLO & IOL(international) medal this year
Extracurriculars
Linguistics
National team for IOL
Organized a semi-official national linguistics olympiad at school(twice)
Served on the same olympiad’s committee; authored a competition problem
Computer Science & Program Development
Twice participated in Netmarble Game Academy (awarded top medal & published a game each)
Leader of the school’s app development club(10th grade)
Developed a school-wide English learning website
Leader of the school’s game development club (11th grade); published a web game
Member of the school computer science club
Research
Conducted research in earth science (10th grade) and computer science (11th grade); weren’t published officially
Conducted elementary research on computer science & chemistry (11th grade, wasn’t published either)
Aiming to publish a CS research paper this year
Other Activities
Participated in the national-level First Tech Challenge (FTC)
Wrote short stories and self-published a book containing some of them
Organized a school-wide essay writing competition
Participated in MUN
Hip-hop club
Soccer club
Schools
I am considering Purdue University or UT Austin but hope to gain admission to higher-ranked universities. Scholarships and financial aid will play a significant role in my decision-making process. I understand that most U.S. universities offer limited financial aid to international students. Still, I am interested in any institutions that might provide assistance.
Additional Comments
My GPA may not seem exceptionally high, but I attend a highly selective science high school—one of only eight in Korea—with approximately 1,000 students admitted nationwide. I am confident my grades would have been considerably higher if I were at a typical school. Do U.S. Universities take this level of academic rigor into account? Unfortunately, none of our recent alumni have gone directly to a U.S. undergraduate program.
From this school, I am very likely to gain admission to KAIST, one of Korea’s top institutions for science and technology. Most of my peers are content with that option, but I am exploring U.S. universities to pursue opportunities at top tech companies like Google as early as possible. I would appreciate any insights on whether attending KAIST or a U.S. university would be more beneficial for achieving this goal, given my profile above.
Also, taking AP exams is quite demanding due to the school schedule, but I believe it will be very beneficial. Am I right in thinking so?
Both are very highly regarded for computer science, but being public universities, they will not meet your financial need. Merit scholarships are limited and very competitive.
How much can you afford to pay for college?
Are you translating your GPA from another marking system? If you provide your actual grade/marks, there are others here who can evaluate your academic strength.
Yes, they do.
As an international student, you can only work up to 3 years after graduation on something called “optional practical training” (and only if the employer is ok with this). Beyond that you will need an employer to sponsor you for a work visa, and permanent residency.
Finding sponsorship is not easy, and the CS job market has tightened considerably, which means employers like Google get plenty of highly qualified applicants who are US citizens or permanent residents. Therefore, you should not count on being able to continue working in the US after your graduation.
That’s a great option, and I’m happy to hear you have that as a fallback.
First of all, I really appreciate your quick and detailed response.
I mentioned public universities because I thought they have lower fees compared to private ones, especially Purdue, whose out-of-state cost was about $40k according to CollegeVine. It was substantially lower than other schools that charge like $70k, 80k or even more. But considering scholarships, would private schools actually end up being a cheaper option?
40k per year for Purdue seems like it might be an affordable cost, though I haven’t had a serious conversation with my parents yet.
My original grades are on a 4.3 scale. To be more specific, my average grade over the last four semesters is 3.95/4.3, but it’s a bit lower if I only consider science/math classes. I am fairly confident I’ll improve my grades in the upcoming two semesters, though.
Are my academic achievements okay, assuming that my translated GPA is around 3.7~3.8?
I regret not being so much concerned about post-school so far. Nevertheless, even if my career in the U.S. only lasts at most 3 years, I think it would still be worth spending some time there.
But when it comes to working sustainably in the country, would it be better to get a bachelor’s in Korea and pursue a master’s or PhD in the U.S.? I’ve seen a lot of people on the Internet not recommending those degrees for getting a job in CS, but if they significantly improve my chances of working there, I’m willing to go through that path.
Sorry if this question isn’t directly related to your field of expertise.
It is generally much less expensive to study for a bachelor’s degree in your country of citizenship or residency than it is to study for a bachelor’s degree in the US as an international student.
On the other hand, PhD programs at US universities that are worth attending are funded, so that is why the density of international students at US universities is much greater for PhD programs than undergraduate.
Getting a job with work visa sponsorship in the US is not easy, but may be less difficult with an advanced degree than with a bachelor’s degree.
Actually, I’m somewhat reluctant to pursue a PhD because it takes a lot of time to complete, and above all, I’m not interested in further academic pursuits like a postdoc or a professor job. However, as you mentioned, if a PhD is highly beneficial for a work visa, I should consider it as an option.
Although this may not be 100% accurate, I found this online which indicates the acceptance rates for computer science majors at various schools. This appears to be for domestic students and not international students. With this at least can tell you is the difficulty of getting into these colleges with a computer science major.
It appears that the university of Texas and Austin has a below 10% acceptance rate while Purdue universities acceptance rate is just under 30%.
Just a note that Purdue tuition for international students is higher than for domestic out of state students. For an international CS major the estimate is $46K. Undergraduate Tuition and Fees — 2024-2025 - Finance
A 1470 is a terrific SAT score and will get you into the majority of universities in the US. As an international applicant, it is highly unlikely that will get you into CS at UT Austin.
These are public universities here and their first obligation is to help fund the college educations of their tax paying residents…which you are not.
IIRC, Purdue doesn’t give need based aid to international students. @momofboiler1 can verify. Merit aid is available but is highly competitive.
UT Austin also has highly competitive merit aid.
How much can your family contribute annually to your college costs. This might help folks here give you some guidance. You mentioned that $40,000 might be doable…please add transportation, health insurance and personal expenses to the total costs.
“IIRC, Purdue doesn’t give need based aid to international students. @momofboiler1 can verify. Merit aid is available but is highly competitive.”
This is correct. Most international students are full pay at Purdue.
The real UT Austin acceptance rate is far lower than that. The general acceptance rate of 37.5% divides the total number of applications by the number of acceptances. However, 75% of those acceptances are Texas residents who are automatically accepted from the top 6% in their high school graduating class.
The actual acceptance rates for students who were not auto-admitted is probably lower than 10%, NOT 37.5%. While auto-acceptance doesn’t mean auto acceptance to their first choice major, it does mean that there is a huge preference for high achieving Texas applicants over other applicants. So for applicants who are not Texas residents, acceptance rates to CS are likely closer to 4% or lower. There are also more applicants to UT Austin than there were when those rates were calculated. So your chances of admission to CS at UT Austin are really low.
Thank you for all your advice! I truly appreciate it. I understand that my chances might be somewhat low, so I am now seriously considering a BS in Korea and a PhD in the US.
However, I’d like to hear your thoughts about my chances at other universities, beyond the ones I previously mentioned. Actually, Purdue was my actual consideration, while UT Austin was just a passing mention. My consultant today told me I might have some chances at UCs other than LA or Berkeley, as well as UIUC. However, I find that hard to believe, as those schools are quite highly ranked—perhaps even more so than Purdue. What do you think about my chances at the following universities, which I consider worth giving up the benefits of KAIST for? Also, I’m aware that most schools are need-aware and consider financial need as a factor in admissions. If I can afford the full fee on my own, how would the chances be?
Still very low. You are looking at some of the top names for CS. Competition is fierce at these schools and your stats just aren’t where they need to be. And they are probably unaffordable for you anyways. Sorry.
Actually, all these public schools are need-blind and won’t consider your need in the admissions decision. However, they will also not provide you financial need - so you need to figure out if you can afford them or not. Purdue will be the lowest cost option among these. These schools also provide very little merit aid so you cannot count on that. Essentially, you will be a full pay student.
From this list, UWash will be the hardest. Purdue is somewhat easier than the others, but still not an easy admit.
My consultant today told me I might have some chances at UCs other than LA or Berkeley,
The UC’s are test blind so your SAT score will not be considered for Admissions or scholarship consideration, only course placement. Some of the UC’s have increased their merit scholarships for Non-residents such as Riverside and Santa Cruz, but you will still be paying $50K+/year to attend.
Below are overall CS admit rates and overall International admit rates for the UC campuses.
So this is your practice test score and not the official score? When do you plan to officially take the SAT? What is your rank within your school?
Read this article and look at the first three sections to see some colleges that give financial aid to international students, and use their financial aid calculators to see how much financial aid you could expect to receive from them. The most selective schools generally give the most generous financial aid.