<p>Hi, I have a U.S. citizenship but I have lived in Korea for almost all my life.
Do I still count as a domestic student?
Can you tell me some privileges domestic students can get besides financial aid?</p>
<p>You count as a US citizen for the purpose of being able to apply for and get government backed financial aid. However, you will be treated as an international or out-of-state applicant for the purpose of determining the tution you have to pay if you apply to any public universities which generally require that you be a resident of the applicable state to pay the lower in-state tution amount.</p>
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<p>Well for one, admissions is a lot less competitive for domestic students. You also don’t have to take the TOEFL (usually) but check with the specific colleges you’re applying to. Some say that if you’re living in a country where English isn’t the first language, then you’ll have to take the TOEFL. But I think this depends from college to college. Other than that, nothing much really. Like drusba said, you’ll have to pay OOS fees for any state college you go to.</p>
<p>Other than govt backed financial aid, there is no difference.</p>
<p>"Other than govt backed financial aid, there is no difference. " </p>
<p>Incorrect. International students are held to a much higher standard due to colleges’ quotas. As a domestic applicant, the OP does not face this tougher competition.</p>
<p>thanks! so i am part of the domestic student pool?</p>
<p>Yes. You may be compared with kids applying from your area, but you have it much easier than them.</p>
<p>You also obviously don’t have to go through all the visa application hassle that all internationals do. And you’ll be able to get a job in the US immediately after graduation without having to apply for H1B status.</p>
<p>Yes, as a US citizen, you apply as a domestic student and are generally eligible for financial aid at US universities. However, you would not have state residency in any state for the purpose of in-state tuition and financial aid at state universities. High school records from a non-US high school may be less familiar to US universities.</p>
<p>Hi. I’m also dual US citizen living all my life in Europe. Do you guys think they will compare me to other people applying from my country or they will basically convert my grades into US GPA and compare me with US citizens and residents? Is that dual-citizenship considered a hook in the admission process?</p>
<p>You’re compared in the context of applicants from your school/region. It wouldn’t make sense to compare your grades to the grades of some student studying in NYC, right?</p>
<p>But usually intl’ students need much higher grades / scores to get admitted at certain schools than the domestic applicants who are also studying abroad.</p>
<p>No, it’s not a hook. A hook is something that fulfills institutional needs.</p>
<p>“No, it’s not a hook. A hook is something that fulfills institutional needs.”</p>
<p>Maybe not a hook, but for some schools it’s an advantage to be a U.S. citizen with extensive international living experience. You increase the diversity of experiences and backgrounds on campus, without having to go through the visa process. For some smaller/rural schools that have trouble recruiting an international student body, it may be seen as a “unique background” that would work to your favor.</p>
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<p>I realize how living abroad may help him a little - but living abroad is different from being a dual citizen with another country. The latter by itself I highly doubt would help or hurt an application at all. Someone with just American citizenship who also lives abroad would be looked at the same as the guy with the dual citizenship.</p>
<p>So I wasn’t saying that living abroad for a while isn’t helpful; just answering his question, saying that dual citizenship in itself isn’t. You could live in the US and still be a dual citizen - no benefits there to colleges.</p>
<p>I still think, though, that whatever advantage living internationally has, it certainly won’t hold nearly as much value as being recruited or being an URM. The advantage, in my opinion, is probably going to be nothing big.</p>