does residency make it easier to get into a state university? -- Virtually Advising Q+A

The Q: Hi, i was just curious how much state residency plays a part of being accepted to a state university?

The A: It depends a bit on the school. But if you're asking whether, for instance, a state university would normally choose an in-state applicant over an otherwise identical out-of-state applicant, the answer is probably not -- and even if it did, it'd be really tough for you to predict whether or not that would work in your favor or against it.

One reason is that different state schools have different goals when it comes to the number of in-state students they'd like to have in their incoming class (or, perhaps more accurately, the number of students they'd like to have who -don't- live inside the state), so you can't really predict anything like how much your residency will or won't be considered. There are also other, more subtle things that affect the fates of in-state applicants: Lots of state schools, for instance, have special arrangements with community colleges and high schools within the state, and several (particularly those in Texas, Florida and California) guarantee admissions for high-school students in their state who meet certain GPA or class-rank requirements.

I think that state residents usually make up anywhere between 40 and 95 percent of the students in a state school -- again, depending on the school -- but that's just the way the system works. State schools exist mainly to provide quality, affordable education to the folks who live in that state (which is why tuition for residents is incredibly cheaper than for non-residents), so naturally lots more residents will apply there -- and lots more residents will get accepted there simply because of the sheer number of those who applied. That doesn't necessarily mean that you're any more or less likely to get in if you're a resident. All it really means is that you should apply to a nice range of schools you'd like to go to (including safety, target and reach schools), and let the chips fall where they may.

Best wishes,

—Myles Helfand, General Advisor