If there are two students with pretty similar applications who come from the same school, but differ only in the sense that one is an international student and the other one is an American by nationality, do you think one might have an advantage over the other in the admissions process if they are applying to the same university?
American
The American will have the advantage
1 Like
Also, would the acceptance rates for international students apply to the American living overseas? For example, when top colleges like Stanford say that only 10% of their class are international students, thus indicating a very low chance for them as compared to American applicants, would the American student figure as a part of the 10% or remaining 90%?
For admissions purposes, an American abroad would not be subject to the international cap, so odds are better. But their application is read by the AO handling the country and is considered in that context. If accepted, the student may be, for statistics and reporting purposes, classified as international.
2 Likes
For US universities where nationality matters in admission, the US citizen will typically have an advantage over the similar international student.
The US citizen will also be eligible for some types of financial aid (government or university-based) that is not available to international students.
However, a US citizen living outside of the US will not be eligible for in-state residency at state universities.
1 Like
The American educated abroad has a huge advantage for admissions if the university offers financial aid to internationals, since their admission odds are lower than Americans in the first place, and then their ability to pay is factored into the decision in comparison to other internationals.
No difference for need-blind/don’t meet need universities (usually large, public universities like Iowa State, Florida State…), since they may admit anyone whom they deem qualified, then if they can’t pay, not the university’s problem.