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2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from France

321 Colleges
$56,130 Avg Tuition & Fees*
79% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Quality BadgeWhen it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for French Students ranking - to help you make that decision.

Our analysis looked at 321 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for French students. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in the U.S. for Students from France

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our 2021 rankings named Columbia University in the City of New York the best school for French students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 34.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Columbia come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Report

2

A rank of #2 on our list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for French students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UC Berkeley come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of California - Berkeley

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,249 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 29.1% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at MIT come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 6,752 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 27.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to NYU to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on New York University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for French students list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Stanford to study.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

6

Boston University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students ranking, coming in at #6. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,788 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 24.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Boston U come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read More…

7

Cornell University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for French Students list. Cornell is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 4,287 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 21.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Cornell to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

8

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students ranking, coming in at #8. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,499 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UPenn to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on University of Pennsylvania

9
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

With a ranking of #9, Harvard University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,618 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 22.9% are international. Students studying at Harvard come from such countries as China, Canada, and India.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

10

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for French Students ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 13.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to UCLA to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of California - Los Angeles

11

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Georgia Tech is a public institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,879 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 24.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Georgia Tech are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

12

Northeastern University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for French Students ranking. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,358 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 29.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Taiwan come to Northeastern to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northeastern University Report

13

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 620 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 33.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Illinois Tech are China, India, and Spain.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read More…

14

Princeton University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students ranking, coming in at #14. Princeton is located in Princeton, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,175 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 23.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Princeton to study.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

15

University of Southern California landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 22.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read full report on University of Southern California

16

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students ranking, coming in at #16. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to U-M to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

17

Northwestern University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for French Students list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 16.3% are international. Students studying at Northwestern come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Northwestern University

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,163 students in 2020-2021.

Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UChicago are China, India, and South Korea.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full University of Chicago Report

19
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for French Students ranking. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.1% are international. Students studying at Yale come from such countries as China, Canada, and India.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read More…

20

With a ranking of #20, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.

Around 30.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Caltech to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full California Institute of Technology Report

21
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,120 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 17.7% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Georgetown are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Georgetown University

22

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #22 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Carnegie Mellon is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,953 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 37.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Carnegie Mellon are China, India, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Carnegie Mellon University Report

23
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

With a ranking of #23, Duke University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,319 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.3% are international. Students studying at Duke come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Duke University

24
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

University of Miami landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 3,348 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.3% are international. Students studying at U Miami come from such countries as China, Kuwait, and Venezuela.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of Miami

25

Johns Hopkins University landed the #25 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for French Students. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 1,847 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 19.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Johns Hopkins to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for French students

Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Boston College Crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
27
28
29
Brown Crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
30
Syracuse Crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
31
NC State Crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
32
Emory Crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
33

34

35
Rice Crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas
36
37
Fordham U Crest
Fordham University
Bronx, New York
38
University of Rochester Crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
39
UF Crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
40
GWU Crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
41
42
Brandeis Crest
Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts
43

44

45
46
Babson College Crest
Babson College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
47
48
49

Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for French Students ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
50Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
51University of Virginia - Main CampusCharlottesville, VA
52University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN
53University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
54The New SchoolNew York, NY
55American UniversityWashington, DC
56Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
57University of California - IrvineIrvine, CA
58Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA
59Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
60Yeshiva UniversityNew York, NY
61Tufts UniversityMedford, MA
62Dartmouth CollegeHanover, NH
63University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
64University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
RankCollegeLocation
65Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester, NY

More Rankings >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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