<p>What do you think matters the most to colleges in international applications, generally? </p>
<p>Rank these (add something to your ranks if you want):</p>
<ul>
<li>GPA</li>
<li>SAT/ACT</li>
<li>Class Rank</li>
<li>TOEFL</li>
<li>Country of origin</li>
<li>Essays</li>
<li>Extracurriculars</li>
</ul>
<p>Unless you’re a recruited athlete, I would say it’s </p>
<p>1 - Money. For a majority of American schools, if you can pay 100%, you will get in. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for significant financial aid (60-100%) it’s </p>
<p>1 - Overall academic achievement (a combination of SATs, class rank, national or international awards/LORs/TOEFL)
2 - Country of origin (Sorry China/India applicants - there are simply SO many of you applying it’s hard to stand out!)
3 - Essays/ECs</p>
<p>How does an international student compare with lower grades to a US student when the international is paying everything?</p>
<p>Depends on the university. Many will gladly accept lower grades and scores from out-of-state students who pay a lot more. That includes international students.</p>
<p>Typically, International students are not in the same “pool” as the Americans. In that pool, paying full price is a huge hook, and at most public universities or smaller schools, it’ll be enough to get you in. However, this does not apply to the 6 need blind/meet need schools and only marginally at the most highly selective LACs/universities.</p>