<p>Hi,</p>
<p>so my friend, who's international, is kind of wondering: does a foreign student compete with ALL applicants or just international applicants?</p>
<p>If the student is applying from his.her country, who is he/she competing with? </p>
<p>If the student is already in the USA AND studying in US public high school, does he/she compete with everyone?</p>
<p>It depends. I would say finances matter a lot. Where they live does not make a difference, but whether they are a citizen or permanent resident does (so the US high school does not matter much). In general I would say at need-blind schools for all students (including international students), I would say they are competing with all students. At schools that are not need-blind for international students (most schools), I would say they are competing more against other international students (and those who can pay and meet the academic standards are more likely to get in than those that can’t).</p>
<p>I must disagree. I believe internationals have a much lower chance overall at top US schools, and they are competing with each other.</p>
<p>I am an international student studying in the US, and I/my parents are getting the green card soon, solely for the purpose of college admissions and easier job process. If it’s not too big a bother financially or otherwise, I would suggest your friend do the same. </p>
<p>@intparetnt: at need blind schools, evidence does not show that internationals are equally evaluated – if so, then you’d see proportional rises in admits to the increase in international applicants. This just isn’t so. A few percentage points here and there – but in general, the institutions place a cap. All one needs to do is look at int’l admits over time – they stay remarkably stable, despite the spike in international applications. This clearly points to a finite amount of set aside slots for this group.</p>
<p>Okay…so, no definite answer on whether international students who studied in US compete with everyone else or just international student?
Except @T26E4 , no one hasn’t given a clear answer…</p>
<p>International students, probably those from their country/region. As a general rule, one only competes with those in their demographic at these colleges.</p>
<p>Okay…what about internationals who were educated in the US?</p>