American exceptionalism in messing over intls at private schools, some ideas why, and alternatives for intls

(TL;DR included)

I. The problem

Statistically, semi-elite or elite private schools (referred from now on only as “Eprivate schools”) in America have some of the lowest admit rates for international students anywhere. You can check the recent CDS releases, which now has space for schools to report their international AR. Wash & Lee intl AR is 2.4%, Bucknell is 4.6%, Bowdoin 1.6%, HMC 5%, Whitman 12%, Bates 3.5%, and so on. None of them are HYPSM tier, and includes full-pay as well as aid-seeking intl.On the other hand, although it still has relatively few spots for intl, Aalto (Finland’s MIT/Wharton, ofc not as prestigious) admits ~20% intl, Japanese elite unis hover around 20-30% (although it is self-selecting because of the language + cultural barrier), etc. Regarding England and Australia, except for Oxbridge, other semi-elite schools are often under scrutiny (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ipWL5xgD8, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm6lWJc8KmE, amongst other sources) for letting in intls students at a higher rate/lower standard than domestic students, and it seems implied that the AR is well above 30%.

II. Observations

Why then, is it that international students face more fierce competition at American’s private universities compared to when applying to other developed countries’ education system? Here are some of my observations, and please correct me if there’s any major mistakes.

1. American Eprivate school’s endowment system – There is a very robust system of donors’ donation as part of a college’s financial stability in the US, and most of these are domestic alumni. Most top tier universities worldwide are public, and admitting high-fee-paying international students would help them finance their costs. However, tuition isn’t the primary source of income for these Eprivate schools, or at least these schools have fallback plans even if a significantly higher percentage of their class is low-income (which isn’t probable).
2. America doesn’t have to rely on immigration as much – European countries, Japan, and many other developed nations to a lesser extent have a higher need for immigration to maintain their workforce population. On the other hand, America’s population is still growing, although at a slow pace. The “American Dream” is still strong among developing countries, overlooking many of the US’s problems because of the soft power the nation has gained throughout its history. It is perhaps viewed as the most influential nation by many. Therefore, immigration visas such as the EBs or marriage-based immigration have many applicants every year, alongside the H1B, where Indian and Chinese applicants have a backlog of decades. Education -> permanent residency, potentially citizenship is a very common path, and perhaps easier in other developed nations than in the US.
3. Peer pressure? – American Eprivate schools tend to have international students make up only about 10-15% of the student body. There may be some unspoken/secret agreements between these schools to distinguish themselves from, say, public schools, or private schools that are not as elite.
4. This is not the case at lower tier private schools and public universities – As discussed above, tuition from out-of-state and international students may be beneficial to the financial well-being for schools with a smaller endowment (i.e., less well-known private schools) or to compensate for lower-fee-paying students (i.e., public schools). Check, for example, the CDS for Stony Brook University. Although in-state students make up the most major part, the admittance rate for international and OOS students is higher than for in-state applicants. Similarly, Drexel’s intl AR is relatively high, but it’s not by any means a “prestigious” school despite certainly having strong programs.
5. English is the most common second language

III. Alternatives for internationals seeking an education abroad

Your nation’s GDP per capita/median income being barely three month’s rent in America is a strong motivator to study abroad, either to immigrate or come back to seek opportunities in your home country. As discussed here and r/intltoUSA since the beginning of time, American admissions for t50 LACs and NUs alike are a crapshoot, so, what are the alternatives?Preface: I’m writing this as an international applicant seeking aid, so I’m prioritizing alternative options below 40k/year.

1. Check out this great post by u/Least_Thought8238: https://www.reddit.com/r/IntltoUSA/comments/1awdhan/for_backup/
2. Apply to less “prestigious” schools: They have a much better admit rate for intls. However, the prospect of staying in the US (i.e., getting hired and sponsored for a shot at H1B) might not be good if the school doesn't have a decent program. In general, avoid schools below t200 NU or t120 LACs, but there are definitely exceptions (for example, the school has some great programs for specific majors, or the career office is good. You can’t always find out about this information without talking to current students, however.) Be careful if you’re seeking aid, as some schools have a minimum efc. Some state schools provide full-rides for international students, e.g., Bama, UDel, UWis, etc.
3. More alternative countries (most of the deadlines already passed as of Feb 25th, 2024):Finland: Aalto and Oulu offer up to 100% tuition scholarship based on SAT scores.Japan: Kyoto iUP, Nagoya Global 30 doesn’t require Japanese, UTokyo requires a Japanese motivation statement, except for EnviSci major without Japanese req.Belgium, the Netherlands: Ghent University doesn’t have an application fee. It’s very big with a scattered campus though. There are also other choices such as KU Leuven, UvA, TU Delft, Utrecht Uni, etc., but their app fee is ~90-100 euros. Their CoA is much lower than the US, however.

Please note that non-US admission is often less “holistic” and more based on GPA or standardized testing. Ok, thanks for coming to my Ted-talk, which I’m writing to kill time and prepare myself for the upcoming bloodbath in March as an intl seeking aid :D.

TL;DR: Many US private schools, especially the more prestigious ones, have the money, and they do what they like. They don’t have a duty to cater to anyone’s needs. As an international student, be thoughtful about your choices, and consider applying for non-US universities.