I live in Maryland right now. I have a G-4 Visa.
Thank you!
Thank you! Iâm just confused because I donât know what colleges do I have a chance for and what not. I donât my list to be full of colleges that I donât get into because Iâll be stuck real bad if that happens. I donât also want colleges that are not that well known because I think itâll impact my further studies.
Oh and for the guys asking about my SAT thing, I got a 750 on the math section and 670 on the english
No point in worrying about it now. You can always add some addtitonal comments indicating that you moved in the common app. If still concerned, add a couple of schools where ECs are not considered or not weighted heavily as backup.
I, and am sure many others as well, would love to learn where you read this.
my counselors told me that for UMD and some other universities as long as your parents are paying 3 years of taxes you are considered a domestic student.
That is inaccurate as per UMDâs own website:
Freshman and transfer students are considered international applicants if they are non-U.S. citizens or non-permanent U.S. residents.
I am pretty sure other schools you mentioned have similar rules.
2 Likes
As I said above, I think you (or maybe they) are confusing in state tuition costs with the status of being a domestic student. Someone on a visa can be considered in state for tuition depending on state rules, but is always considered an international student. ( Iâm going to assume you know your family situation better than I do, but certain G visa holders are exempt from paying US income taxes, so if thatâs a criterion for tuition basis you might want to check that.)
1 Like
Do you mean you want colleges that are well-known for possible future study back in India, or do you think you might do graduate school in the US? Because âwell knownâ means different things for those. Many US colleges that may not be household names overseas are held in high regard by US graduate schools.
3 Likes
As Iâve said earlier, I think your counselors have given a lot of erred misinformation. You are relying too much on your counselors (EDITED here) for information about US schools. Itâs up to you to contact the individual schools and ask. They (counselors) can also contact the schools and ask them.
Your counselors arenât US immigration officers, correct?
Did they bother to tell you that thereâs such a thing as âphysical presenceâ?
That means that the student has to be physically present in the United States with their parents residing and paying three years of taxes to qualify for instate fees for most US schools. You donât become a citizen doing that. You become a student eligible for resident fees but youâre still not a citizen.
That means you need to have been in a classroom âphysicallyâ here and living your life in the states to get a reduced rate. This doesnât mean that you automatically become a domestic student. Thatâs a US immigration issue. Thatâs not a college or university issue.
US immigration and naturalization controls your student visa and who can and canât be considered a US citizen. It has nothing to do with whether or not the universities give you a resident tuition status.
If you want a question, about a university answered, go directly to the University website and/or send an email.
1 Like
Okay so youâre under a G4 visa and live in Maryland.
G4 means your parentsâ lawyer/HR dept (or their employer) should be able to tell you whether you qualify for instate tuition at Marylandâs public universities since they must have seen hundreds of kids in your situation.
MD is used to foreign countriesâ&international organization employeesâ children and the fact they attend college while their parents fulfill their duties for NATO, Embassies, etc. So the answer should be there at the ready.
Maryland: unfortunately for you CS at UMD is uncommonly competitive, even keeping in mind CS tends to be the most competitive major to apply for in general⊠itâs just worse at UMD CP.
As a result, your odds at UMD CP arenât good, but you can always apply and try⊠and, good news, they ARE pretty good at UMD-BC so definitely apply to UMD-BC for CS.
At UMD CP you may have a shot for these majors:
1 Like
This! But it doesnât mean you are considered a domestic student. It just means that you might be eligible for instate tuition costs.
3 Likes
I second that your conselor is wrong. You are an international student with international tuition for UMD. I am MD resident and we have many friends on visas. All their kids are international for UMD even after 5+ years in the USA. None of them were eligible for instate tuition even the ones who were already in the process of applying for green card.
Your counselor is mixing it up with undocumented immigrants. You do not fall in that category. If you are here on visa, then you are a foreign student.
Unfortunately he is not eligible for instate tuition.
I thought it would just be that G visa holders generally donât pay tax as the reason for not qualifying for instate tuition, but it looks like the requirement for instate is quite onerous - certainly seems a lot more onerous than other states Iâve looked at (admittedly none closely). Iâm now thinking this is precisely because the suburbs around DC are full of diplomatic, IFI etc employees.
And as said, this would only be for tuition anyway. If you are on a visa you are international.
https://www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII-2.70.pdf
The student will demonstrate the requisite intent by satisfying all the following requirements for the 12âmonth period (or shorter period indicated):
1Annotated Code of Maryland, Educ. § 12â101.
VIII-2.70 - 2
- Has continuously maintained primary living quarters in Maryland.
- Has substantially all personal property, such as household effects, furniture, and pets, in Maryland.
- Has paid Maryland income tax on all taxable income, including all taxable income earned outside Maryland, and has filed a Maryland Resident Tax Return. If the student is a dependent for tax purposes, then the person who claims the student as a dependent shall have paid Maryland income tax on all taxable income, including all taxable income earned outside Maryland, and have filed a Maryland Resident Tax Return.
- Has registered all owned or leased motor vehicles in Maryland for at least 12 consecutive months, if previously registered in another state. Students who have lived in Maryland for at least 12 consecutive months but who have had their motor vehicle(s) registered in Maryland for less than 12 months will be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if they can show evidence that their owned or leased motor vehicle(s) was (were) registered in Maryland within 60 days after moving to the state in accordance with Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration requirements.
- Has possessed a valid Maryland driverâs license for at least 12 consecutive months, if previously licensed to drive in another state. Students who have lived in Maryland for at least 12 consecutive months but who have held a Maryland driverâs license for less than 12 months will be deemed to have satisfied this requirement if they can show evidence that their driverâs license was issued in Maryland within 60 days after moving to the state in accordance with Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration requirements.
- Receives no public assistance from a state other than the State of Maryland or from a city, county, or municipal agency other than one in Maryland.
- Has the ability under Federal and Maryland law to live permanently and without interruption in Maryland.
1 Like
^ thatâs how I read it too, but OP is better off having his parents check with their employer/HR/lawyer.
Youâre right, the counselorâs advice or assumption seems false though.
There are 3 levels:
- instate vs. OOS&International tuition costs (because instate discounts are related to taxes paid by the applicantâs parents, international tuition is significantly more expensive)
- Access to federal and state financial aid: internationals donât have access to federal aid; legal residents of a state are typically okay for state grants if they qualify but you need to check with your parentsâ lawyer/HR to see what Maryland does. In addition, you need to see if you meet the financial eligibility criteria.
Merit aid, ie., GPAĂrigorĂtest scores, wouldnât depend on citizenship but on your being among the top applicants. UMBC would thus be a strong choice for merit aid and good internship options, as would GMU, Towson, CNU⊠American University has solid CS or Data Science programs and I bet not as many apply to that major as to IR&Business so itâs worth trying. uCincinnati has been a pioneer in co-op education, similarly to Northeastern, and had excellent scholarships (although itâs reduced them). Always apply to Honors colleges at public universities. Finally, other universities offer CS&merit scholarships. Several have already been listed.
- Lastly, your academic record will be first considered within your cultural context (class X exams/scores) and then for 11th and the beginning of 12th, in relation to your US high school. These last 2 years in particular will be scrutinized more than if youâd spent all 4* years in the US but will be easily recognizable and will place you along all students at your school. So, your US HS academics will not be considered in relation to applicants from India but compared to applicants from your HS.
At UMD, it would:
- U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens are considered for the universityâs merit scholarship.
(eligible non-citizen = permanent residents and some specific types of non-immigrants. OPâs G4 status wouldnât count)
Yeah I think in general, private universities are more generous with aid to internationals than selective publics. I may have missed it but was there a budget?
My recollection of AU when I visited with D19 was that you can (donât have to) indicate a major on your application but itâs non-binding - once youâre in, youâre in to the college as a whole. It is very big on demonstrated interest. Itâs probably quite easy for OP to get there for a campus tour, which I would suggest. We liked it a lot, but we werenât there for STEM.
1 Like