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<li><p>State universities recognize both IB and A-level and which one you choose won’t really make a difference. (You should note that most state public universities actually do not require any recommendation letters.)</p></li>
<li><p>As a US citizen, she would apply as one and not as an international. (At state universities, internationals cannot qualify for need based financial aid; a US citizen does).</p></li>
<li><p>Not sure of your current status on residency. I assume you lived in the US for some period and had residency in that state. Do you still pay state taxes in that state and maintain any residency there? If so, you (and she) could still be considered residents of that state and can apply accordingly. If not, then you are not currently considered a resident of any state and thus she would be treated as an out-of-state resident. </p></li>
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<p>As to qualifying for residency for in-state tution, the rules vary among the states so you have to check the particular rules. Usual presumption is that student is a resident of the same state as the parents. If you move to, work in, pay taxes in, a state for a year, then many will consider her a resident the second year. However, there may be some that are even better than that and you might be able to qualify by second semester and if you actually move and set up residency a few months before freshman year starts, you might even qualify by first semester. You just have to check the residency rules for in-state tuition of the particular state university you are considering.</p>
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<li><p>Whether you can transfer from the public university to the private university to begin second year depends entirely on the rules of the private university. Most will take transfers after one year, but many of those may have some limitations (e.g., the engineering or business school of the college might only take transfers into third year). In other words the rules can differ not just among universities but even among the different colleges within a particular university. </p></li>
<li><p>Many go the community college route and then attempt to transfer. Downsides are that (a) you don’t get to form that “friend” base in college that freshman usually do which usually lasts throughout college and often throughout life; (b) you have no guarantee the four year college will accept you and many are rejected; (c) the classes at community colleges tend to be easier than what you get at college and some can face a disadvantage once they transfer and find themselves struggling.</p></li>
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<p>The major benefit is obvious: it is a lot cheaper than going away to college; tuition is lower and the student lives at home. </p>
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<li><p>Like other things noted above, whether she will need to take Toefl will depend on the particular university. As long as she is a US citizen, some will not require it. Others may not require it as long as she scores a certain score on the reading section of the SAT. If she has been attending an English speaking school, some will not require it. It just depends on college’s rules.</p>
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<li>All colleges will require, as part of the application process, a transcript of her high school record (or whatever the school is called that she is attending when applying). Usually you have to have the school submit the transcript with a verification from the school (you can’t just make a copy and send them). A college which accepts her will then also require another official transcript after she completes high school and before actually starting college</li>
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