Is the acceptance rate for international students at public universities such as UVa or UMich lower?

A friend of mine just told me there’s ‘no point’ in applying to UVa because the acceptance rate for international students at the school is ~12% (his counsellor gave him the number). Is this true? The general acceptance rate at UVa is ~25% I think There’s a big difference between the two numbers. I understand by law UVa may have to set certain quotas (or something like that), but is it really that bad for international students? I’d consider myself a pretty competitive applicant, but will I be at a disadvantage because I’m an international? Doe this also apply to the University of Michigan as well?

UVA strongly favors in-state applicants.

You won’t find any college in the US that has an equal number of foreign and domestic students. Foreign applicants are often separated out and compete against one another for a determined and limited number of slots available for non-US students.

I would expect that there are more domestic than foreign students in your country’s universities as well.

Being an international almost certainly disadvantages you for both schools. This is the case for most of the elite colleges and universities in the USA. Michigan and UVA are both outstanding schools, and I would still perhaps apply despite the low admissions rates.