Hi
While I was researching schools, i came across the term URM. I get that it means under-represented minority but can someone explain exactly who is considered a URM please ?
I’m from the Caribbean , Trinidad to be exact and I’ve always been considered and identified as mixed. My ancestry is a bit hard to pin down but I have some afro - Trinbagonian ancestry , Indo - Trinbagonian and the rest is predominantly unknown. Would I be considered a URM ?
Most likely. Schools make their own determination based on the racial/ethnic categories you identify with and put on your application.
Agree, but also sounds like you may be an international student, which generally makes it more difficult to be accepted to US colleges.
Thank you !
I am an international student. If you don’t mind me asking, how much more difficult is it to be accepted ?
It can be a lot more difficult to get accepted to US colleges, especially if you are requesting financial aid.
Edited to add: There are very few schools (under 10) that meet full financial need for international students. Many public schools have a primary obligation to give financial aid to students whose parents live and pay taxes in that state, since tax dollars are what fund the school. If you are not in need of financial aid, you will do better but it can still be difficult depending on the schools you are looking at and your intended major.
Depends on the school. There are 2 aspects of being an international student you need to consider, admissions and financial aid. Sometimes admissions is more difficult because the university has a soft quota on total international students or even students from a specific country that they will accept. This is generally true of the super selective schools where a crazy number of highly qualified international students apply. For some schools that value international diversity, it may be advantageous to be an international and/or to come from certain countries.
Many schools do not offer or guarantee aid to international students. So if you have financial constraints, some schools may not be economically feasible. Full pay international students on the other hand are very attractive to certain universities who view such students as a valuable revenue source.
Thank you !
One version of the definition: “An underrepresented minority includes all U.S. citizens, both naturalized and permanent residents that have African, Hispanic, or Native American heritage.”
Agree, how being international might help or not depends.
As said, a college could, eg, already have what they feel is a sufficient number of students from the Caribbean (or Trinidad, itself,) and be looking for representation from other islands. Or some nearby regional country. For most colleges, pretty tough to guage, in advance.