<p>Hi, I'm a student from an Asian country currently undergoing a local pre-university program in a government-run college. The program ends in April and we're required to apply to our local universities by then, courses starts in September.</p>
<p>I am planning on taking the SATs after April and apply for US university admissions by December.</p>
<p>The problem is, if I accept the offer for a local university, will I be considered in my US applications as a freshman or a transfer student? Some sources said that most international universities are not accredited and therefore it is usually not possible to apply as a transfer student. While some said that I need to have a minimum number of xx credits to transfer and also various other contradicting statements.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if you have been studying outside the US. When you apply to a college or university in the US, you will need to provide official copies of your academic records from that first institution. Each institution in the US sets its own policy about who is, and who isn’t, a transfer applicant. They also set their own policy about which credits to accept for transfer, and which not to accept.</p>
<p>So, as 082349 has written, you do indeed need to check with each and every college and university that you might apply to in order to find out what their individual policy is.</p>