Canadian Applicant - Disadvantaged?

[soporific]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently an undergraduate at a Canadian institution (ranked around 100-150 globally in medical sciences). I was wondering if I would be disadvantaged when applying to US schools for graduate studies, not so much because of my school, but because of my citizenship. I have heard that it is harder to get in as an international applicant compared to US residents because it is harder for the school to fund non-US permanent residents.

Could you please tell me if my chances are lower because I would not be a US resident? Specifically I am looking at top immunology programs (e.g. Yale, Harvard).

Thanks very much for your input.

[RiseofthePhoenix]

I'd say that your chances are better because

1. International students have a good reputation for doing well in US schools

2. The funding pool is separate from that of native students. This means that while there are fewer spots available for international students, you are really competing against other international students to get admission. For instance, if a certain program has 200 applicants and it accepts a cohort of 11 students, it is likely that anywhere from 0-3 or 4 spots might go to international students. Out of the 200 total applicants, there are probably 20-30 international applicants. This is all based loosely on past admission information released by some school in my area of sociology. I have no idea how it would be in your area.