Will I be considered an international applicant?

[foregoingfun]

Hello all!

I am considering matriculating into the Duke-Kunshan undergraduate program due to the full-tuition scholarship being offered. However, I am concerned that attending an institution, though granting a degree from Duke, will put me in a difficult situation when/if I apply to medical school. The program entails one or two semesters spent in Durham with the remaining in China. The undergraduate experience seems to be exceptional and being a part of something new (the inaugural class) seems like a great life experience for the sake of exploration and excitement. Overall, I am just worried about the semantics of applying and whether or not that would put me at a significant disadvantage when applying MD-granting schools in the US. I am open to any and all suggestions.

My other options are as follows:
UC Davis w/ ~5K scholarship in-state
Reed College no financial aid award yet
Pomona College (Waitlist)- Meeting with Dean soon so hopefully good things to come...
University of Pennsylvania (Waitlist)
Cal Poly SLO (Waitlist)

Thank you so much for your help!

@Goro @LizzyM
Would love to get your perspectives!

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[ciestar]

You’re not an international student if you retain your US residency...

If Duke is the granting institution, also a US school and you’ll be doing all your pre-reqs in the states, you shouldn’t have a problem.

 

[foregoingfun]

I do not believe the program entails me performing all of my pre-reqs in the states, most of the education will be in China. That's where I'm mostly concerned, especially because the program is brand new. As for the diploma, one is from Duke and the other is from Wuhan. Not sure where this puts me.

 

[HomeSkool]

You're not relinquishing your US citizenship and you'll be in China on a visa. That means you'll be a domestic applicant when you apply. As for how adcoms will view your coursework at Wuhan, I'm unsure, but the fact that it's a joint program with Duke is reassuring.

 

[LizzyM]

Be very careful. If you are not awarded a degree from a US (or Canadian) institution, your chances of being admitted to a US medical school are close to zero. The only time I've seen it happen is when the degree-holder goes on to earn a PhD in the States. Given that Duke-Kunshan is accredited by Chinese authorities and is located in China, I am doubting that US medical schools will accept applicants from Duke-Kunshan. Much safer to take the offer from UC-Davis. I'd be cautious about Reed as it has a reputation (perhaps no longer deserved) of being a grade deflater.

From the school's English-language website
Duke Kunshan University – Overview | Duke Kunshan University


Duke Kunshan University is accredited by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People’s Republic of China. Duke University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in the United States to award baccalaureate, master’s and doctorate degrees. Duke Kunshan University is not accredited by SACSCOC and the accreditation of Duke University does not extend to or include Duke Kunshan University or its students. Note that Duke Kunshan University students successfully completing the course of study required by Duke Kunshan University will be conferred both a Duke Kunshan University graduation certificate and diploma officially approved by the MOE as well as a diploma from Duke University (Duke University and its degrees are accredited by SACSCOC).

Further, although Duke University agrees to accept certain course work from Duke Kunshan University to be applied toward an award from Duke University, that course work may not be accepted by other colleges or universities in transfer, even if it appears on a transcript from Duke University. The decision to accept course work in transfer from any institution is made by the institution considering the acceptance of credits or course work.

This makes it a bit fuzzier but I'd hate to be in the inaugural class and then discover that my coursework won't get me into medical school.

 

[foregoingfun]

Thank you all so much for your insight! The risk doesn't seem to justify the potential reward. I will attempt to get into contact with admissions offices of several medical schools and update if I am told anything significant.