Graduate School from out of state?

Question

Ok, so I'm not exactly sure what I plan to go to graduate school for, but I know I would like to go to school in Florida, Texas, or California...preferably the flagship state school of each state. I am not from any of these states, so does that mean it's more difficult to get into graduate programs at these schools? Or, in graduate school, does state residency not matter so much? Also, how difficult is it to get into graduate programs at state schools as compared to the elite private university graduate programs? I know that UCLA, UF, and UT Austin are all great state schools, so are they really really hard to get into graduate school wise?

Answer 1

State residency does not matter at all when it comes to graduate school.

And it's not the same in terms of public vs. private when it comes to grad school, either. All progams, public and private, are ranked by factors like faculty reputation, academic strength of program, support of students, placement of grads after degree is earned, etc. Each department is ranked, not each university.

Therefore, you do NOT choose a graduate school by location. You apply to the best programs in your field of study, and shoot for assistantships/fellowships that carry full tuition remission and a stipend.

You then select the school to attend by weighing level of support and program reputation.

Answer 2

When considering graduate studies, it is far more important to consider the program and not the location. Does the school even have a good program in the area you wish to pursue? Are there faculty members whose research interests overlap with your own? If not, then you may not even be accepted in the first place, and even if you are, you will probably be miserable from working countless hours on projects that don't interest you in the least. Before worrying about residency, think about what it is you want to do. Without some indication that you have some specific goals or interests in a certain field, any graduate programs that receive your application will likely throw it in the rejection pile regardless of your academic qualifications.

Once you figure that out, residency usually isn't a huge issue. Unless your intended program has major funding problems (which should be taken into consideration before accepting an offer), out-of-state status shouldn't hurt your chances of admission. Furthermore, you will likely be encouraged (read: forced) to change your residency at first opportunity anyway, so it becomes a moot point after your first year or so in the program.

As for getting accepted in the first place, it really depends on the strength of a particular program at a given school. Graduate school admissions at all major universities are typically quite competitive, but even more so if it's a top-ranked program. Often, a state school may have a more prestigious program in a certain area than even an Ivy League school. Again, you need to figure out the field in which you wish to pursue graduate studies before addressing this issue.

Answer 3

First, I think you need to pick your graduate school based on more than which state you like, especially since you don't have a subject chosen yet.

Nevertheless, state residency does not matter for getting into a graduate school, but the tuition will be higher for out of state students if you do not get a teaching assistantship or fellowship. In Virginia, even after you have moved to the state to go to school, you can never get in-state tuition, so do some research on that.

Austin and UCLA are great schools and will likely have highly selective programs. Florida is not as prestigious, comparatively.

Answer 4

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