<p>Hi everyone. Back when I was applying to college, this forum was extremely helpful to me, and since my younger brother has just arrived at that stage of his life, I thought I'd post a new topic here to consult with you guys about his rather unusual situation. Here's the story. My parents divorced when he was still in elementary school, and when my mom went overseas to live in Australia, she took him with her. He's spent the past decade attending school in Australia, and now he's thinking about returning home to America for college (he's currently a senior in high school).</p>
<p>What are his options? Would he still be considered a resident of New York, where we have a house listed as our permanent residence? Does he still have to take the SATs (Australia uses a different standardized test called the VCEs)?</p>
<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated! :)</p>
<p>He should take the SATs, unless that would be impossible for him to do in Australia.</p>
<p>If he is a US Citizen, I think he would apply as a domestic applicant.</p>
<p>There are several US citizens educated in Australia who have posted here in the past couple of years. If you search for their threads, or send them a PM, they should have lots of helpful ideas for your brother. I believe that beeish, Emeralds, and nadalle are now studying here, and that cornellhopeful0, TrueBlue92, and esiotrots are still in the process of applying.</p>
<p>Your brother’s in-state status may derive from your father’s state of residence. Is he in the US now? Check the state residence policies for the NYS publics. It may vary by institution.</p>
<p>Each college and university sets its own policy about the ACT/SAT. Some won’t require it if an applicant has scores of a recognized international exam. Some (especially community colleges) don’t require an ACT/SAT at all because they use their own placement exams. Some just plain don’t care - for a list of those, see [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org)</p>
<p>To get a better understanding of the US college admissions process, he should read through [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://educationusa.state.gov/]EducationUSA”>http://educationusa.state.gov/) That will be really helpful to his mother and people at his secondary school if they aren’t particularly familiar with college admissions in the US. There are a number of advising centers in Australia, and the counselors there can help him learn more about his options. If no one at the center closest to him has worked with a US citizen before, they have colleagues in other offices who have. [EducationUSA</a> - Find an Advising Center](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Australia#.T2iF7RFunG4\]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Australia#.T2iF7RFunG4\)</p>
<p>Wishing you and your brother all the best!</p>
<p>happymom, moonman, thank you both very much for the advice! :)</p>