Building Your U.S. College List as an International Student

By Alecia, IvyWise College Admissions Counselor

Before you begin your final year of secondary school, it’s important to finalize your college list — a complete list of all the colleges or universities to which you will apply. We recommend a balanced mix of 13-15 likely, target, and reach colleges for this list. But how do you get to this point?

Building a college list as an international student may take a little more work, especially if you want to apply to a U.S. college. You have unique needs that domestic students don’t have to consider. These tips can help you build a list of colleges that are a good fit for you.

Identify Your Fit Factors

First, you need to finish building your college list. This process requires deep reflection as you consider your top personal and academic fit factors and prioritize those that matter to you the most. Fit factors could include academic majors and programs, the size of the undergraduate student population, the availability of student clubs and organizations, the quality of student support services, and campus diversity and culture, among other things.

In addition to the fit factors that all students must consider, international students have additional factors that are unique to their needs. Let’s highlight some of the most important fit factors for you to consider as an international student during your list building process.

Review the Financial Aid Process

If you need financial support to attend college, you must consider how colleges define international students. Some colleges define international students as students who are not U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or undocumented/DACA status. Other colleges define international students as those attending high school outside of the United States. Review how each college of interest defines international students to understand what category your application will fall within.

Next, you will need to consider what type of aid process the college uses. Some colleges offer need-blind financial aid, while others offer need-aware financial aid. Need-blind means that your financial need will not be considered when making an admissions decision, whereas need-aware means the opposite. When it comes to international students, colleges that are need-aware are highly competitive with extremely low acceptance rates. If you are seeking financial aid and planning to apply to any colleges with need-aware policies for international students, you may also want to include colleges that are less selective and more affordable on your list.

Some colleges meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, often offering some of the most generous financial aid packages. Since international students are generally not eligible for federal or state financial aid, research available need- and merit-based scholarships that can help you with your college expenses.

Consider the Location

As an international student, it’s important to visit U.S. universities whenever you can — though you will unlikely be able to visit every college that you want to include on your list. Luckily, many colleges offer virtual information sessions or tours that you can sign up for through their admissions websites. Doing these virtual programs will give you an inside look into how the college is integrated into the community. You can also ask some of these questions to gain a better understanding of how the college’s location impacts the experience you will have on-campus:

• How easy is it to walk between classes and residence halls? How do students typically get to class?
• Describe the community around campus. How is campus connected to the local community? Would you describe the local community as a college town?
• What do students like to do for fun off-campus? What do students typically do on the weekends?

In addition to asking questions during your virtual tours, research the cities or towns of the colleges you are thinking about adding to your list. Look up local public transportation systems, cultural or community groups, and restaurants or grocery stores that will provide you access to your favorite foods or cuisines. This research will provide you with valuable insights into how the local community can feel like home during your time away from home. After all, a good cultural fit will help you have a great college experience.

Explore the International Student Community and Resources

As an international student, you might have a desire to be around peers from your home country or with a similar culture or background. Some colleges may offer an International House or Center for international students. If a college has this type of resource, they likely have staff available to support international students by building community and offering fun and unique social programs to help you connect with international peers. Some colleges will also offer international student groups like international associations — check on the college’s student clubs and organizations website to see if they have communities that you align with.

Colleges will often offer a living-learning community where you can speak languages you are interested in learning with peers who are also learning that language. Some colleges also offer global or internationally-oriented living-learning communities in the residence halls. Lastly, the percentage of international students on campus will reveal how large the international student community is and how easy it will be for you to connect with other international students.

While international students need to consider some of the same fit factors as domestic applicants, they also need to consider additional factors that may affect their college experience. Your research of these various factors will hopefully allow you to build a very comprehensive list that meets all of your needs. If you need assistance building your best-fit college list and navigating the complexities of college admissions for international students, contact IvyWise today to learn how we can help.