DD will be applying for boarding school in a few years. I will be an ExPat but DD will be at an international school and is American citizen. Will DD be considered an international applicant or domestic? Thank you!
Probably both. There are lots of expat kids in boarding schools throughout the US. Most boarding admissions are holistic, so they look at the entire package.
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Agree with @sgopal2 .
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Agree with above.
I think you’ll be considered American citizen for things like FA, but “living abroad” for things like “bringing interesting international perspective.” (My kids are dual citizens so we gave some similar thought to this issue last year when we first applied, and this is where we landed.)
I’m in a similar situation. I’m a citizen but I was in a foreign country for the past 13 years, and I only moved to the U.S. recently for like one year. I was also confused about whether or not I was an international applicant.
If your kid is applying from a different country, they’re probably going to be considered an international applicant, because many schools (I asked the AO’s) only look at your home address instead of citizenship to determine whether or not you’re domestic/international. Perhaps some schools only look at citizenship, but you’ll have to ask all the schools you are applying to.
However, even though your kid might be considered an international applicant, they still get the “privileges” of domestic students. For example, it’s much easier for your kid to get financial aid from schools since they hold a U.S. passport. Your kid also might get an advantage over other international applicants without U.S. citizenship.
You will be considered an American with a foreign address and an interesting back story. You will have access to the regular FA pool.
This is, as mentioned, not uncommon. Many expats who don’t want their kids changing schools during high school and/or who want their kids in a system that feeds into U.S. colleges choose BS. Nobody at the BS will be at all rattled by this.
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Hi there!
I’m a second-time applicant, applying to several prep schools and was also in quite a similar position. I’m a U.S Citizen currently living abroad. Based upon my experience over these two application seasons, I have to say that it really depends on the school, itself.
Different schools have different policies; the policies for one school may not apply to the next. It is essential that you reach out to the admissions offices at all schools you plan on applying to, for more, accurate information.
Based upon the schools I’m applying to (New England Boarding Schools), I’ve mainly noticed most schools gave these following responses on how they weigh U.S Citizens living abroad (and applying for Fin Aid):
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Fully International: Both your application and financial aid will be considered to be the same as any other international student - your citizenship will make little to no effect. These schools follow a criteria that differentiates between the domestic and international status of an application based on the current address of the applicant.
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Hybrid: This is the most common response I’ve received from admission officers this year. Your application will be considered as international for admission but domestic for financial aid. You may have a slight (rather hairline) advantage when compared to other international students when it comes to admission, however, a comparatively marginal (big) advantage when it comes to Financial Aid - as you’ll have full access to a regular, domestic financial aid pool.
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Fully domestic. Both your application for admission and for financial aid will be considered to be the same as any other domestic student. Many schools in this category define an international student by their need of an I-20 form - if you need an I-20 sponsorship, you’ll likely be labeled as an international. If you don’t, you’ll likely not be.
Sorry for my loooooong rant; I hope it helps you!
Good luck for the admissions process, and I hope your DD gets in the boarding school she wants to get into. Feel free to PM me if you need any further assistance.
Sincerely,
A fellow Boarding School Applicant
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