I'm a college admissions counselor. Ask me anything about college. - Page 2

I applied to a lot of schools last year. Got into only a few. I'm wondering if they take our status into decisions. Cause, they may see us as "international student" regardless of our scores. (Think about: cultural differences, language differences, etc.)

Why? Because if they decide to fund you, international students (Or outofstate) are more expensive to fund. Not to mention, some of them might be aware of DACA and know that it is in jeopardy... which would mean I would have taken a spot that would could have been "safer" (although in my field the cut rate is 40-50%).

Yeah, they might not have access to my DACA status knowledge, but it is quite easily traceable when your English scores are good, and you have transcripts from undergrad and master's program here in the U.S.

Idk. Maybe I'm overthinking this.

i already know, but i am asking anyways just in case, as there may be additional resources that i do not know of.

where else can i pay for grad school as a daca recipient?

Thank you very valuable information.

It depends on the school. Some schools are openly friendly to DACA students at both undergrad and grad level. Their websites have info specifically for DACA people. A fraction of these schools will consider you as a domestic applicant for admissions purposes. We are still disadvantaged in that regardless of their admissions policy, we may not qualify for some department training grants. Other schools will always treat you as an international student, which makes it harder to get in right off the bat. For anyone considering applying to grad school, apply to the most prestigious schools if you have the grades. It is the Ivy's and other elite universities that are the friendliest to DACA people. They are rich, so it's not a problem for them to throw money at us. Do your research. Schools list info for DACA applicants on their website. I got in to grad school before DACA existed, and I think things have only become easier for undocumented students since then. If you apply,do contact the school in advance to let them know your status. Makes things easier. Do not waste money on an application for them to tell you later that they can't take you.

Alongside what I've already mentioned, I'd say consider a private school. While these are typically more expensive, they have more freedom as to what they can do for DACA recipients. You still wouldn't be eligible for federal aid, but private school have more flexibility as to how they can spend their money.

With the idiot at the white house, GA/TA positions may be really hard to acquire since you may not be able to complete it. Private schools with money may be your best bet.

Being an international student does not make it harder for you to get into a program. If anything, it makes you more desirable. Not only does it add to the diversity quo, but the tuition is also more expensive. A few schools, that I will not name, specifically admit a decent amount of international students due to tuition costs.

Private schools are a great option. A lot of prestigious or wealthy private schools have programs that will pay for whatever portion of your education you cannot pay for. Emory University is a great example of this.

Its SO important that you are honest with the admissions counselor you are working with about your status. They will do whatever they can to help. If they don't, reach out to other counselors, to the diversity center, and if none of those work, consider looking for a different school.

In most universities, you will not be denied because of your status. Unless its a public university in a state with certain laws, your status will not stop you from being admitted, only from being able to afford it.

Also, get on the process early. Apply early, reach out to counselors early, make sure you do whatever you can to show them that you are serious. If you make yourself seen sooner than later, it'll help you stand out in a positive way.

I'd disagree with this statement.
If you are doing a PhD program, many fields offer funding for the students. The funding usually comes from a professor's grant or from the department. To them, international students are more expensive.

For example: I am funded for my program. They have to foot the bill for my out of state tuition along with fellowships/taships.

I wouldn't know about many fields, but in the sciences (which I'm part of), it's basically all international students. So, no in this retrospect international students do not "add to the diversity".

Here's the thing. In-state versus out-of-state isn't really always real. When schools offer scholarships that cover the out-of-state portion of tuition, it's not real money. It doesn't come out of a scholarship fund, it's basically a waiver. Granted, its not always case with every single school, but in most schools, merits scholarships isn't actual money, it's just a portion of your tuition being waved.

Behind closed doors, the department is not paying the international or out-of-state fee. You may not qualify to have all of it "scholarshiped", which would cause extra expenses for the department, but typically speaking, if you meet certain qualifications, your department is not paying the full international/out of state cost.

This all, of course, happens behind closed doors. Departments won't tell you this, and if you called any admissions office, they also wouldn't tell you this. But from someone who works in this field, I guarantee you that this is the case. A merit scholarship, at any level, is not actual money - its just portions of your tuition that don't have to be covered because you are supposed to add value to the university. This, of course, only applies to public universities.

It should also be mentioned that PhD students are meant to do heavy research. When departments fund your education, they are mostly funding your research, and research costs the same regardless of what your residency status is. Sure, there are costs associated with being a student in the university, but those are minimal compared to the costs of resources for research.

And of course international students add to diversity. This is a bragging point for any college. Diversity meaning different races and different nationalities. You can think whatever you want, but don't think for one second that having students from different countries isn't a welcome addition to the diversity of the student population.

What I don't understand is why you're trying to argue with an expert in the field? I know what I'm talking about. Sure, I mostly work with undergraduate students, because graduate and PhD students tend to go directly to the department they're interested in, but more often than not, they also go through us, and work with us in figuring out details like this.

I am literally an expert in higher education. You are giving your best educated guesses, and I am giving insight and honest answers about the industry, from inside the industry. There's a reason I won't tell say where I work - things like some scholarships not being actual money js the kind of information that isn't supposed to be public knowledge. I'm glad you have your opinions, but I have facts... Because I work in this field, and am very passionate about it. I know what I'm talking about.

Edit to add: Not all universities will have graduate scholarships. This is why it's important to shop around.

You are completely right. Being an international student DOES make it significantly harder to get in. At least in the sciences, most programs take something like 1 or 2 international students per year out of a cohort of ~15 or so. So if you are international, you are competing with tens of people for 1-2 spots. If you were domestic, your chances of getting in are higher because more spots are available. International students do not qualify for a lot of fellowships and training grants, which puts us at a disadvantage. Also, international students can make a campus diverse, sure, but they are not counted for the purposes of "domestic diversity". Let me give you an example. An international student at my school will not qualify for a diversity fellowship. Diversity fellowships are only for citizens/permanent residents. So yeah...so much for "diversity".

Well, sorry to burst your bubble but if I'm not questioning the "experts" then I would have to take your word as is. This is not what higher ed is about. I'm not really arguing with you either, just trying to explain how I think of things.

I'll also disagree. "Waivers" are like you said, waivers. A lot of schools however want you to become a resident of the state (or establish one, for tuition purposes). Why? Hmm. I wonder why.

I invite you to attend any Math/Econ/Engineering Ph.D programs and look at their cohort. The first two, most are from China (And I mean, they came here for undergrad and now are in PhD programs or are straight from China after their undergrads). Diversity? I think not.

I'll take your word on the "merit" scholarship thing. Although, if one were able to attend a state school (say and you could qualify for in-state), the merit fellowship the person may receive > the tuition they would have to pay (which would also be covered), especially at a state school. This kinda makes me question your logic, but sure.

Btw. I haven't spoken to any undergrad admissions people ever. I've spoken with grad admissions faculty however.