<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I am currently in the 11th grade studying in Australia in an Australian public school. I just moved here last year and am an American citizen. If I apply to colleges in America, will I count as an international or will I count as an American applying? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you are a green card/ US passport holder then you are an American student.</p>
<p>You are a domestic applicant for financial aid and statistical purposes, but some of the admissions policies for international students may apply to you. For example, you may need to complete the International Supplement to the Secondary School Report for students attending a non-US-style high school.</p>
<p>Speaking of finances, if you are interested in attending a public university at in-state price (and possibly with a scholarship for state residents), check if your parents can formally maintain a domicile in that state. Some states allow this if you maintain certain ties to that state (e.g. continue to pay state taxes).</p>
<p>Thanks guys.</p>
<p>If I studied in California from kindergarten through the first semester of sophomore year and then proceeded to come to Australia for the rest of my high school education, would I still receive in state benefits from UC and Calstate schools as if I were still a resident?</p>
<p>I know that applying for colleges in the us is difficult for many internationals. Would some of these difficulties not apply to me because of my status as a citizen of the USA?</p>
<p>Also, if I became a permanent resident of Australia but still maintained my citizenship, would I still be a domestic applicant for financial aid and such? Because I need to become a permanent resident to attend the 2nd highest ranked school in the state (which I have already been accepted to) but I don’t want to do this at the cost of having to pay the fees an international student would in America.</p>
<p>The main difference between domestic and international applicants is financial aid. You are eligible for financial aid as long as you are a US citizen, regardless of where in the world you live. (There’ll be other small inconveniences when you apply from abroad, e.g. more forms to complete and interviews & visits & standardized testing being inconvenient, but finances are the one big obstacle that international applicants actually struggle with.) </p>
<p>I believe California lets you maintain state residency for tuition purpose after leaving the state under some circumstances. Off the top of my head, I believe that you would be eligible for in-state tuition if you enrolled within one year of your parents leaving the state, or if your absence is temporary in nature and you act in a manner consistent with California being your permanent domicile. Applying for permanent residency in Australia would probably void the second option. I could very well be wrong though. I suggest that you consult an official source (e.g. the printed [UC</a> Residence Policy](<a href=“http://www.ucop.edu/ogc/documents/uc-residence-policy.pdf]UC”>http://www.ucop.edu/ogc/documents/uc-residence-policy.pdf) or a school official in charge of residence classification) before you make a big decision.</p>
<p>Note that moving to Australia might make you an out-of-state applicant at any public university in the US, but you still have the benefits of being a domestic out-of-state applicant.</p>
<p>What types of benefits would I be eligible for as an out-of-state applicant? Would it be easier to receive scholarships in the US from private colleges such as USC and CalTech as an out-of-stater rather than an international?</p>
<p>esiotrots,</p>
<p>Generally speaking, it is easier for citizens to be admitted than for true internationals. However, none of us here can really predict what would happen in your case. You need to contact the colleges and universities that you are specifically interested in.</p>
<p>Posters here at CC who are US citizens who grew up in Australia and are now in college in the US or applying to college in the US include beeish, nadalle, Emeralds, cornellhopeful0, and TrueBlue92. If you search for their threads and/or send them a PM, they will have good ideas for you.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>