What do universities look for in international students? Is it different from domestic applicants.

I am also an international student, and I think it is crucial that you communicate what makes you authentically you in your essay. Read a few articles on writing college application essays both here on College Vine, and on other websites like Princeton Review. They contain sound information.

Again, try to research any school you are applying to, in order to ensure you fit into their prospective student picture. It would not make sense for you to want to strongly major in STEM and not apply to tech schools.

In addition, prepare thoroughly for the SAT/ACT and the SAT subject tests, and ensure your grades are top notch. Devote your time to extracurricular activities that you love.

Finally, maximise your essay.

Good luck.

Universities are going to look for the same qualities in both international and domestic students. They're going to want to find a student who they think will fit well on their campus in a bunch of areas: culturally, academically, personality, etc. Typically schools make it pretty obvious what types of values they look for in an applicant, they usually have these all over their school website.

@DebaterMAX is right in the sense that it can be more difficult for international students to be accepted. This can be especially true if you demonstrate financial need. There is something called need-blind admission and need-aware admission in the US. Need-blind admission is where a college does NOT consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding on admission. Need-aware is when a college DOES consider an applicant's financial situation when deciding admission. Many, but not all, colleges will use the need-aware approach for international students so that is something to consider.

Besides that, I don't know how prevalent extracurriculars are in other countries. I know I've seen some questions on here and other sites where international students have been surprised how much ECs play a role in admissions. So I would try to build up your ECs if you haven't started that already. They make a huge difference if a school is considering accepting you. And like @Cross said, focus on studying for the SAT/ACT and try to do well on that all while maintaining good grades if possible.

The requiremnets are generally a bit stricter but as canada and US share a border there may be somesort of argreemen such as College C in canada and College U in US have a agreement but I dont know entirely. There typically is less restrictions on Canada than lets say india. There is also exchange programs in later years. For specific colleges rules go to their website and go to international applicants