Hi,
Im an international student from the Middle East. Some colleges have 20% international students, while others have 5%.
Should I bother applying to colleges who only take 2-5% such as UNC Chapel Hill or Boston College.
Also, will colleges who take in 20% international be looking to decrease number of internationals, thus worsening my chances? Also, will colleges who take in 5% be looking to increase number?
Or does it not matter at all if I am international, at least for private universities?
Please answer me as I have to finalise my college list very soon! Thank you so much for all who are willing to help me. Appreciate it.
Applying international just means the competition is tougher, and you probably won’t get any financial aid. Just apply to the schools that you like. It doesn’t matter if you get in if you don’t like the campus or environment.
The issue is usually one of financial aid. UNC is a state school. They are not going to provide financial aid to internationals. So the internationals that they have are wealthy and paying the full price. At private schools, those with no money will also have only wealthy internationals. At private schools with large endowments, they can afford to provide financial aid to internationals and will do it in order to increase the diversity of their class, bring in interesting people and raise the aggregate academic stats. Note the latter point: Those internationals receiving large amounts of financial aid have excellent stats, often above the average for that particular school.
As an international, if you need significant financial aid, you should be looking at schools that offer that. Otherwise you are wasting your time and money. If you have money and don’t need aid, you can apply anywhere that you are academically competitive.
Your SAT make you completely not viable for some on your list (UCBerkely, Penn, UNC). I’d clearly omit those. With the others, (and assuming you don’t need fin aid), you have a slight chance –
but is that slight chance worth your time/money and effort? It’s tough to say.
Excuse me? I didn’t ask you where I should or should not apply. I am retaking my SAT for your information and if you believe that SAT is the only thing you or colleges look at, then you are wrong. My question specifically states if low international intake affects my chances in any way. This is not a chance me thread.
Don’t worry about the % of international applicants who are admitted. Worry about the % of international applicants just like you who get admitted. Those are two very different things. If you are a full-pay international applicant, your chances of admission are very nearly the same as those for a full-pay US applicant with the same grades and test scores. If you are an international applicant with significant financial need, then the story is completely different.
This is a public forum and people will respond as they see fit. If you do not like the responses you can move on. Being nasty on CC will not get you many responses.
Admit rate = no. of admitted students ÷ no. of applicants.
At schools with very low international admit rates, you can infer that they are very popular with international applicants. In such cases, the schools can be more picky. Thus, taking only the best of the best. Being “average” in that pool means rejection. The lower the admit rate, the more impressive any single individual must present in order to be considered.
If, after you research the stats of typical UNC, Penn and UCB admits, you still feel compelled to apply – by all means. Go for it. No skin off me
First of all, I am not dumb enough to apply to these colleges without looking at the statistics. I am not applying to UNC. Not because of the statistics, but because the school didn’t seem suitable for me. I KNOW my chances are extremely slim when it comes to Ivy’s and UCB; however, I have developed a full range of schools that go all the way from safeties to high reaches. Also, I have many factors that help me stand out and I couldn’t possibly mention or post them on this forum. I am going to apply for the sole reason of self satisfaction. So that I know I tried to apply to the best instead of wondering what if. Also, if/when they reject me, I will feel extremely motivated to work harder.
You can’t judge me from the stats I decided to include on CC. 1. They aren’t finalised. 2. They aren’t everything.
Recap: I did not say I’m gnat get in… I’m not naive, but I have my own reasons for applying. The last thing I need are smug people who try to “help” but in fact publicly degrade me. If you have a problem with these schools, then don’t apply to them. Remember, I don’t care about impressing you guys, I care about impressing colleges. So your opinions are insignificant to me. So instead of convincing me that I should not apply, you should go and do something that is actually beneficial. IDK why you people are so eager to jump at the chance of degrading someone. Do you guys feel smarter after doing so? I don’t get it…
I don’t believe internationals are ever in the same admissions pool as American students at US colleges. Being full pay may increase your admission chances among internationals, but your stats still have to be competitive. Good luck.
@confusedsenior28 Schools with low levels of international students are schools that don’t get many applications. Plain and simple. International students are attracted to larger high visibility schools near major cities. Every school wants international students.
Is anyone surprised that Boston University has 18% international students and Colgate 8%?? Hamilton has less than 5%.
International students should seek out schools with low levels to stay away from competition.
Apply to universities that are ranked 20-50 (national research and national LAC) or 1-10 (regional universities) and aren’t located in big cities on the coasts. Then you’ll be sure to attend a high-level university where your odds aren’t handicapped by how many internationals apply.