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2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Germany

409 Colleges
$57,623 Avg Tuition & Fees*
82% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Quality BadgeWith all of the options international students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for German Students ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Our analysis looked at 409 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for German students. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

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

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 German students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,654 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 34.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Columbia to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. 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.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

3

A rank of #3 on our list means Stanford University is a great place for German students working on their bachelor’s degree. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 23.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Stanford to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Stanford University

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. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 6,752 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 27.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at NYU 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 90%.

Read full report on New York University

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Princeton University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for German students list. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,175 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.2% are international. Students studying at Princeton 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 full report on Princeton University

6

With a ranking of #6, Cornell University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. Cornell is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,287 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 21.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Cornell come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Cornell University

7

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,249 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 29.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at MIT are China, India, and Canada.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

8
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #8. Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,431 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.1% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Yale are China, Canada, and India.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

9

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #9. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 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.

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

Read full report on University of California - Berkeley

10

Boston University landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 24.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Boston U to study.

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

Read full report on Boston University

11

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #11. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UChicago 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 100%.

Read full report on University of Chicago

12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to U-M to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

13

University of Southern California landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 22.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at USC are China, India, and South Korea.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

14

California Institute of Technology ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 227 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 30.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Caltech are China, India, and Canada.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full California Institute of Technology Report

15

Northeastern University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students ranking. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,358 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 29.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Northeastern are China, India, and Taiwan.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

16

University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,499 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UPenn are China, India, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Pennsylvania Report

17
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,319 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 18.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Duke 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 Duke University

18

Northwestern University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for German Students list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 16.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Northwestern 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.

Read full report on Northwestern University

19

With a ranking of #19, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. 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.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.8% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to UCLA to study.

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

Full University of California - Los Angeles Report

20
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

Brown University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,987 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 17.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Brown come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Brown University

21

Carnegie Mellon University landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1,953 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 37.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Carnegie Mellon to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

22

With a ranking of #22, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,035 students in 2020-2021.

Around 30.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to University of Rochester to study.

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

Read full report on University of Rochester

23

Johns Hopkins University landed the #23 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,847 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Johns Hopkins come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Johns Hopkins University Report

24
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for German Students ranking. Georgetown is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,120 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 17.7% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Georgetown to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Georgetown University

25
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

University of Miami did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for German Students ranking, coming in at #25. Coral Gables, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,348 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Kuwait, and Venezuela come to U Miami to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for German students

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
31
Syracuse Crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
32
UCONN Crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
33

34

35
36
GWU Crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
37
Dartmouth Crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
38
Vanderbilt Crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee
39
40
Emory Crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
41
Boston College Crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
42
UF Crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
43
University of Virginia Crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

44
Michigan State Crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

45
46
Pepperdine Crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California
47
NC State Crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
48
49
Virginia Tech Crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
50
Rice Crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in the United States for International Students

To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:

RankCollegeLocation
51University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
52Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX
53University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN
54University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
55University of California - DavisDavis, CA
56Milwaukee School of EngineeringMilwaukee, WI
57Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA
58Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
59Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
60Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
61University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
62Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH

Honorable Mentions

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

RankCollegeLocation
63University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
64Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
65Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
66The New SchoolNew York, NY
67American UniversityWashington, DC
68California State University - FullertonFullerton, CA
69University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA
70California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
71University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
72Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL
73Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
74Pennsylvania State University - University ParkUniversity Park, PA
75University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
76Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
77Clark UniversityWorcester, MA
RankCollegeLocation
78Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
79Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
80University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
81Babson CollegeWellesley, MA
82Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ

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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