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2021 Best Colleges for International Students in New York

102 Colleges
$53,863 Avg Tuition & Fees*
72% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for International Students in New York ranking.

We analyzed 102 colleges and universities across New York to determine which were the best for international students in New York. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the percentage of international students on campus.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

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Top Colleges in New York for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Columbia University in the City of New York tops this year’s ranking as the best school for international students in New York. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,654 bachelor’s degrees 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.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 4,287 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 21.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cornell are China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

3

Out of the 102 schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the #3 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,752 students 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.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on New York University

4

A rank of #4 on our list means University of Rochester is a great place for international students in New York working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, New York. It awarded 2,035 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 30.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at University of Rochester are China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Rochester Report

5

A rank of #5 on our list means Syracuse University is a great place for international students in New York working on their bachelor’s degree. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Syracuse, New York, and it awarded 4,193 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 17.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Syracuse are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Syracuse University Report

6

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. RPI is located in Troy, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,582 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 20.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at RPI are China, India, and Canada.

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

Read More…

7

With a ranking of #7, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. University at Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,623 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 16.1% are international. Students studying at University at Buffalo come from such countries as India, China, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University at Buffalo Report

8
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY

With a ranking of #8, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. This large public school is located in Stony Brook, New York, and it awarded 5,185 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to SUNY Stony Brook to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full Stony Brook University Report

9

Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. RIT is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,565 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 12.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at RIT are India, China, and Saudi Arabia.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Rochester Institute of Technology Report

10

Binghamton University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. Binghamton University is a public institution located in Vestal, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,004 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.3% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Binghamton University 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…

11

Fordham University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking, coming in at #11. Fordham University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 2,461 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Fordham U come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Fordham University Report

12
Colgate crest
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY

Colgate University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. Colgate University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hamilton, New York that handed out 896 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.3% are international. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and South Korea come to Colgate to study.

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…

13
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY

Vassar College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. Vassar is a private not-for-profit institution located in Poughkeepsie, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 682 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 8.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Vassar to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

14
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY

Skidmore College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. Skidmore is located in Saratoga Springs, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 671 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 10.0% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Skidmore to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Skidmore College

15
Union College crest
Union College New York
Schenectady, NY

Union College New York ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. Schenectady, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 542 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and Vietnam come to Union College to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Union College New York Report

16
Barnard crest
Barnard College
New York, NY

Barnard College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. Located in New York, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 676 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 12.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Barnard to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Barnard College Report

17
Hamilton crest
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY

With a ranking of #17, Hamilton College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. Located in Clinton, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 597 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.5% are international. Students studying at Hamilton come from such countries as China, Canada, and Vietnam.

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

Read More…

18

Pratt Institute - Main came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. Located in Brooklyn, New York, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 762 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 36.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Pratt Institute come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Pratt Institute - Main

19
Yeshiva crest
Yeshiva University
New York, NY

With a ranking of #19, Yeshiva University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. Located in New York, New York, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 606 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 7.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Yeshiva come from such countries as Canada, China, and Israel.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Yeshiva University

20

Clarkson University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking, coming in at #20. Clarkson is a private not-for-profit institution located in Potsdam, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 708 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.4% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Clarkson to study.

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

Read More…

21

St Lawrence University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. Located in Canton, New York, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 725 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 9.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at St. Lawrence are China, Canada, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

22
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

With a ranking of #22, Hofstra University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. Hofstra is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hempstead, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,617 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 6.1% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Hofstra to study.

Full Hofstra University Report

23

The Juilliard School ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in New York list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 114 students in 2020-2021.

Around 28.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Canada come to Juilliard to study.

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

Read full report on The Juilliard School

24

Hobart and William Smith Colleges landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in New York. Geneva, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 638 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at The Colleges are China, Canada, and Nigeria.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Hobart and William Smith Colleges Report

25
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY

The New School came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in New York ranking. New School University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,469 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 32.4% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at New School University are China, South Korea, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on The New School

Best Colleges for International Students in the Middle Atlantic Region

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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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