Hello,
We are moving to Wisconsin later this year. My son would be going straight to senior year in high school in August. He has done all his schooling in India until now.
We are wondering how the college admissions process will be like in this situation. Will he face problems getting admission to a good college? Would he be better off finishing his high school in India itself, as far as college admissions are concerned?
Thanks for any advice,
It could be a problem. I can’t tell you about Wisconsin, but in NY, graduating high school seniors must complete certain state-determined requirements.
In NY, that would mean, for example, having taken a semester of health, gym for four years, US history, three years of science, four years of English, a year of art, and so forth. If he doesn’t meet those requirements, he would not be able to get a high school diploma.
I think you should contact the district you plan to move to and get specific advice. It might be fine, but I sure wouldn’t take a gamble that he won’t spend more time in high school to meet state requirements.
Is he a US citizen? If not, he will be considered an International applicant, regardless of where he finishes HS, which will greatly reduce his chances of acceptance at many “good” US colleges… You will probably be required to prove you can pay the full cost of college in order for his application to be considered. Smaller, lesser known US colleges who are hungry for applicants will offer him a better chance.
In any case, he will be applying to universities mostly based on his high school record from India, since his US high school courses will be in progress.
Check on Wisconsin’s rules for determining if he will have in state residency for university tuition purposes.
When are you moving to Wisconsin? Is your son a U.S. citizen…or will he have permanent resident green card status?
What do you think is a “good college”? Are you thinking Harvard or University of Wisconsin (I should add, I think both are fine schools).
Do you need need based aid for him to attend college?
To clarify, if he will have a green card he will also be treated as a domestic and not international applicant. If any kind of visa is needed for being in the US he will be treated as international. All regardless of where schooling is completed.
@Lindagaf, thanks very much for your advice. I will contact the school district regarding their requirements for graduating from high school.
Thanks, @menloparkmom, @ucbalumnus, @thumper1, @SJ2727,
Yes, he is a US citizen. I’ll look into what the residency requirements are for Wisconsin. Residency in Wisconsin would help him with colleges within Wisconsin, right? Or will it help with colleges in other states as well?
I was wondering how his grades will be calculated for his college applications if he does only his senior year in the US. Looks like his performance till 11th grade in India will be key. If there are further requirements on him in high school in the US which would delay his high school graduation, he may be better off finishing his high school in India itself. I’ll check with the school district regarding that.
@SJ2727, is it easier to get admissions if he is treated as a domestic applicant? Will he be considered a domestic or international applicant if he finishes high school in India and applies for colleges from India, given that he is a US citizen?
Thanks again, Everyone!
Will it help with what? Admission? in-state tuition?
Admission will be based mostly on his record from 9th to 11th grades. In-state tuition for other states will not apply. You haven’t been paying any state taxes towards any other state, and, even Wisconsin may wait, until you’ve been there a year, before considering in-state tuition.
The only real thing that citizenship does is it permit him to apply for federal funds (which are really low and limited) on the FAFSA. Citizenship lets him stay in the US without an issue but, as far as college admission, it won’t give him much of an edge.
Residency in Wisconsin will allow for in-state (lower) tuition at Wisconsin public universities. There may also be financial aid or scholarships available only to Wisconsin residents.
There is a lower tuition reciprocity agreement with Minnesota for its public universities.
In general, it is easier to get into US universities and get financial aid and scholarships as a domestic applicant. As a US citizen, he will be a domestic applicant, although with substantial non-US high school records that will be evaluated for admission purposes (whether he stays in India or moves to the US for 12th grade). Obviously, staying in India would mean not getting residency in any US state for tuition purposes at it’s public universities.
The state school websites have a section about how residency is determined for in state tuition purposes. If your son is interested in WI and MN state schools, that may be a place to start. Calling the school district about getting the diploma after one year is good advice too but I suspect he would be able to get it if he’s followed a recognizable course of studies in India.
I agree that you definitely need to look at the graduation requirements in Wisconsin and if you will have a 365 day physical presence in Wisconsin so your child can get can get in-state tuition. Make sure that you bring multiple copies of his official transcript from India.
It has been my experience that the NYC DOE can and does graduate students who come to school at the NYC DOE for the first time as seniors, especially those who come from a country where they are being taught english. Students who are otherwise on track would be programmed for English, government/Econ, US history, PE, health (if needed) and courses in **the Arts /b.
The biggest hurdle would passing the regents in US History, ELA and mathematics. There are also regents alternatives (IB scores, AP scores and SAT II Subject test scores)
The PE requirement changed years ago. The current policy is as follows:
Hoping there is similar online information for Wisconsin.
In most states, the family needs to be in residence, not for college purposes, for 12 months before the start of college. Since your son will be applying to colleges not very long after you move to Wisconsin, he may have to prove that you actually have residency there. Check those requirements carefully…this would be for instate tuition status in Wisconsin…and as noted the reciprocity with Minnesota.
@sybbie719 , it was just an example to demonstrate to the OP, who will not be moving to NY. I wasn’t aiming for exact precision.
If he is a US citizen, your son will be treated as a domestic applicant even if he completes all his schooling in India. We just went through this process with my son, who is a US citizen but was educated entirely in Asia and never lived in the US until he entered college last fall. As people have explained above, there can be advantages in claiming state residence if the student is applying to public schools in that state. Leaving that issue aside, your son will receive be treated in the same manner as a student who has been living in the US and attended US schools. Make sure you understand the process and timeline for applying. Most students begin working on a list of potential schools in junior year and also begin preparing for and taking the standardized tests (SAT or ACT). The deadlines for applying Early Decision (binding) or Early Action (nonbinding) come in the fall of senior year, so everything - testing, essays, letters of reference, etc. - would need to be done by then. The Regular Decision deadlines are mostly in January, so even those come pretty quickly. It might be an awful lot for your son to deal with all at once if he moves countries, enters a new educational system and has to deal with the workload and pressure of the application process at the same time. Even if he moves this year, he will probably need substantial help from his current school as there might not be enough time for his new teachers and guidance counselor to get to know him well for letter of reference purposes.
Another issue to consider is how the US HS will award credit to the HS transcript from India. Will they assign a P for passing and award credit, or will they try to match classes from India with classes at their HS. If your son’s grades in India are exemplary, I would make certain that the transcripts from that school are sent in with all of his college applications. The colleges have admission counselors that are well versed in foreign transcripts and can recalculate a GPA.
Yes, he is a domestic applicant because he is a US citizen.
If a parent has been in Wisconsin 12 months before your son would start classes at a public university there or in Minnesota, he should qualify for in-state costs. So get at least one parent there sooner rather than later. He might need to apply as out-of-state and then petition for a change of status when the parent who arrived first has been there for 12 months.
Because he has foreign transcripts, people in the international admissions office might be called upon to help evaluate those transcripts. You also can check the websites of the universities he’s likely to apply to, and see whether those universities require formal evaluations of foreign transcripts. WES.org is one organization whose evaluations are widely accepted.
Pay attention to university admission requirements for English proficiency exams (usually both the TOEFL and IELTS are accepted, some places may have their own exams as well). If his education abroad has been in schools where English is the medium of instruction, he should get solid evidence for that. If his education has not been entirely in English, make sure that he gets appropriate ESL support during his senior year. If his Academic English reading and writing skills aren’t quite college-ready, there is no shame in enrolling in an ESL class to get that dealt with.
Kids move around all the time. Military kids have been in schools in other countries, on military bases, at boarding schools. My kids attended 3 different high school (we weren’t military but 2 of the 3 schools had a lot of military kids). The schools are used to it and help kids compile a transcript, get credits for courses that aren’t exactly the same as what’s required by that state (credit for playing a sport if PE is required, foreign language credit, community service hours).
It’s not easy. It’s unlikely a transfer student will be Val or earn a lot of extra honors, president of a lot of clubs, or get great recommendations from a teacher he had in 11th grade for only 6 weeks. The transferring of grades can be brutal, especially if there are a lot of honors courses offered at the new school so that other students have gpa’s of 4.5 or greater. You just have to adjust.
I feel as if this thread is a little negative. Your son’s background makes him an interesting applicant, and several colleges told us they love “outliers” (Clark U. in particular, a great school).
What does he WANT to do? Does he want to move with you? Does he want to stay in India? Is separation from parents difficult? Does he have friends he wants to finish with? Overall I would think moving with family would be a priority, but I realize that is not always true. You can make either choice work.
The examples given for graduation requirements from NY are more rigorous than many states. In Massachusetts, kids take an exam. One of mine went to an Ivy League school without taking the recommended classes in high school, because her background was interesting- like your son’s.
I will PM you about another way to get a diploma even while attending a regular high school. Many homeschoolers attend classes at a high school and get a diploma in other ways, for instance. I know your son isn’t homeschooling but just making the point that there are ways to accomplish graduation in different situations.
I really wouldn’t worry. Many schools will value the diversity of experience your son brings. Including some very selective ones. The fact that he is a US citizen really ensures consideration with other US residents.
Oh- and to reduce stress, check out this list of test optional schools, including an incredible number of top ones (though for merit aid he may need test scores)
https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional
Also look at the website for Colleges that Change Lives.
Online courses at Virtual High School https://vhslearning.org/ are accepted by high schools in my area and are excellent. He could start taking classes required in the US for graduation, while still in India, perhaps.
People relocate to our country all the time…with varying educational backgrounds. I believe high schools and colleges will understand this situation.
One key ingredient will be your son’s senior year schedule. Many high schools have already started course selection for 2020-2021 already. Your best bet is to contact the high school your son will be attending…assuming you know where you will be living.