International Student Studying in US High School

Student Lounge International Students
1

I’m a junior studying in a HS in US and planning to apply for colleges in US. If anyone would reply, I’d really appreciate it.

Does colleges compare international students who study high school in US with the other international students or US students in terms of stats and EC?

2

It’s tricky: they’ll want the same achievement in the US high school as for their American applicants, but they will then compare you to other internationals for financial aid. If you don’t need financial aid you’ll be compared to American students.

3

Your home country will also matter.

4

This inter alia depends on your current immigration/visa status in the US.

5

To elaborate on hpcsa’s comment about immigration status, here’s a few examples of common statuses of non-citizen college applicants:

  • Permanent Residents. These are treated like US citizens for almost all purposes.
  • H-4 students, dependents of an H-1B work visa holder. They can qualify for "in-state" tuition and scholarships at public universities, but they are not eligible for federal financial aid (FAFSA).
  • F-1 students, here on their own student visa. They are usually considered out-of-state applicants at public universities, and also not eligible for any sort of public financial assistance. However, unlike H-4 students, F-1 students are allowed to work while in college (e.g. summer internships, on-campus jobs).

Some “in-between” statuses can be hugely frustrating. For example, students who are applying to college during the removal-of-condition process often struggle to prove to colleges that they are in fact permanent residents, since they don’t have a valid permanent resident card.

How long you’ve been in the US also matters. For example, if you completed 2 years of high school in the US, some colleges would still want to see TOEFL scores (and of course your foreign transcripts). You probably wouldn’t need those if you’ve been in the US for 4+ years.

When you are getting ready to apply to colleges, I would encourage you to read the application instructions for both domestic and international applicants. Bit and pieces of each may apply to your situation.