<p>I mean if I apply to colleges in the same state of my high school</p>
<p>Not sure I know exactly what you are asking, but there are two parts to my answer -
- No, they won’t give you much of an advantage in terms of admission (In almost all cases)
- Yes, you will be far more eligible for substantial merit aid if you qualify by staying in state. </p>
<p>There are exceptions to both of these (National Merit Scholars is a good example where you may qualify for just as much money out of state). But generally speaking, these two are what you will find. </p>
<p>Of course, out of state tuition is a really big deal and in many cases you may have more trouble getting into an out of state school.</p>
<p>In-state public schools often have lower list price tuition for you than they would for students from other states. They may also have different admission thresholds and better financial aid for you than for students from other states.</p>
<p>Most private schools won’t have such differences.</p>
<p>In some states there is state merit and/or need based aid that is only for graduates of high schools in that state who attend public or private colleges/universities in that state. So find out about that too.</p>
<p>I mean will that increase my chance of admission if I stay in state?</p>
<p>Some schools do, and some schools don’t, make important distinctions between in-state and out-of-state students in their admission and aid decisions. In general, public schools do, but private schools don’t. However, the most common and significant differences are likely to be in tuition costs and financial aid, not in the admission standards. </p>
<p>Some very selective colleges may give a slight admission advantage to students from under-represented states or perhaps to students from local high schools. Some state colleges may hold out-of-state students to higher admission standards. However, it is difficult to say how significant that difference might be, because the published admission outcomes (as reported in the Common Data Set) generally don’t differentiate the average stats (GPA/rank/scores) of in-state versus out-of-state students.</p>
<p>It depends on the state. For example, it’s easier to get into a UC if you live outside California (because you don’t get financial aid and you pay very high out of state tuition fees). However, it’s, much much more difficult to get into any UNC university from outside North Carolina.
Some states in the Midwest, Texas… have automatic admission to their State’s public universities for all students from their state: if you meet a GPA/ACT or GPA/SAT threshold, you’re in. This does not apply for OOS students so it may be harder for them to get in.
In-state public universities keep their need-based financial aid (State grants, etc) for the students from their state. NTherefore OOS public universities are usually unaffordable unless your parents have money or you qualify for merit aid. Not all public universities give merit aid and not all give enough. Check the University of Alabama forum since it’s basically the best deal (re: rank/aid).
Applying to a private college far away makes admission slightly easier (especially if you’re from an underrepresented state at that college) and may result in a better financial aid package.
In some other cases, applying to a private college in-state or out-of state makes no difference for admission or financial aid packaging.</p>
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<p>This is definitely not true for the less selective UCs, since the minimum HS GPA for frosh admission is 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-residents. For the more selective ones where these minimums are too low to matter, it did not appear in UC StatFinder (when it was still available) that resident versus non-resident made any difference.</p>
<p>^I read somewhere (they sourced it with numbers, but I didn’t keep the article) that for the past 2 years the IS/OOS difference is significant and is due to budget cuts creating financial incentives to admit lower-level OSS students who will pay the full $50-55,000.</p>
<p>I think I understand, thanks all. What if I was an international student but study in US?</p>
<p>Once again, it depends on the State. For example, if you’re an international student who graduated from a Texas high school you’re considered in-state. If you attended high school for 3 or 4 years in Michigan or New York, you’re considered in state. However in other states, it doesn’t matter if you graduated from a local high school or how many years you spent in state, you won’t be considered an in-state applicant if you need an F1 visa.</p>
<p>And your high school guidance counselor should know this! Well, he or she should know this if you’re attending a boarding school with a lot of international students. As noted above, the rules vary depending on where the school is located.</p>
<p>Alex…</p>
<p>Instead of dribbling out info, why don’t you tell us the situation.</p>
<p>What state are you in?</p>
<p>What is your GPA?
What are your test scores?</p>
<p>In most, if not all, state schools, you won’t get much/any need-based aid. How much will your parents pay each year?</p>
<p>I’m in CA and I’m a junior now, I want to transfer to other states but I’m not sure.
I think I don’t need aid.</p>
<p>And I don’t believe you’ll be considered in-state for California schools. For most students, attending high school in California would qualify them as in-state, but I believe your visa status makes you ineligible for that advantage.</p>
<p>If you’re in boarding school, check with your guidance counselor - although he or she may be pretty swamped right now dealing with seniors!</p>
<p>Ok, thanks!</p>