<p>Public Universities: Supported by taxes paid by the residents of the state where the university is located. </p>
<p>Private Universities: Not supported by tax dollars.</p>
<p>As far as “lesser” students (I don’t personally agree with that description, but it is your question), it would depend on the individual university’s admissions history. Look at the “middle 50%” statistics for the universities you are interested in - the ones where you exceed the middle 50% are very likely to admit you, the ones where you are in the middle 50% are matches, and the ones where you are below the middle 50% are far less likely to admit you.</p>
<p>Admission of International students has less to do with whether it is public or private than with the individual university’s particular admissions policies. Most universities consider the International student’s ability to pay in their admissions decisions. Look on the Financial Aid forum for the few that do not consider ability to pay if that is a concern.</p>