2021 Best Colleges for International Students in Virginia
36
Colleges
$38,607
Avg Tuition & Fees*
58%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options international students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for International Students in Virginia ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 36 colleges and universities across Virginia to determine which were the best for international students in Virginia. 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Virginia for International Students
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named Virginia Tech the best school for international students in Virginia working on their bachelor’s degree. This large public school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 7,699 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 9.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Virginia Tech come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in Virginia list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,493 students in 2020-2021.
Around 8.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at University of Virginia are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of Virginia - Main Campus
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at William & Mary helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in Virginia. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,983 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 6.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at William & Mary are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Richmond helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in Virginia. URichmond is located in University of Richmond, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 984 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Around 7.0% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at URichmond are China, India, and Pakistan.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full University of Richmond Report
A rank of #5 on our list means George Mason University is a great place for international students in Virginia working on their bachelor’s degree. George Mason University is a large public school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 6,388 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 7.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at GMU are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
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With a ranking of #6, Washington and Lee University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Lexington, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 585 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 4.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Washington and Lee are China, Vietnam, and South Korea.
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.
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James Madison University landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the large public school awarded 5,002 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 1.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Vietnam, and South Korea come to JMU to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
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With a ranking of #8, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Richmond, Virginia, the large public school awarded 5,512 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 3.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at VCU are Saudi Arabia, India, and China.
Full Virginia Commonwealth University Report
With a ranking of #9, Virginia Military Institute did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Lexington, Virginia, the small public school handed out 413 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 1.8% are international. Students studying at VMI come from such countries as Taiwan, South Korea, and China.
Read full report on Virginia Military Institute
Roanoke College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia list. Salem, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 458 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 1.7% are international. Students from as far away as South Korea, China, and Canada come to Roanoke to study.
Read full report on Roanoke College
Randolph - Macon College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Ashland, Virginia, and it awarded 400 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 2.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Vietnam, Japan, and Myanmar/Burma come to Randolph - Macon to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Randolph - Macon College
Shenandoah University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia list. Winchester, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 567 students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 1.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and France come to Shenandoah to study.
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With a ranking of #13, Marymount University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Arlington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 570 students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 13.1% are international. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, India, and Vietnam come to Marymount to study.
Read full report on Marymount University
With a ranking of #14, Eastern Mennonite University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Eastern Mennonite is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 240 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 2.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Eastern Mennonite are South Korea, China, and Saudi Arabia.
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Christopher Newport University landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Newport News, Virginia, the small public school awarded 1,200 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 0.2% are international. Students studying at CNU come from such countries as China, United Kingdom, and Finland.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Randolph College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking. Randolph is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 133 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 2.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as Vietnam, China, and Nepal come to Randolph 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 full report on Randolph College
Hollins University landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Roanoke, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 165 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 8.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Hollins come from such countries as Nepal, China, and Jamaica.
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 Hollins University
With a ranking of #18, Longwood University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Farmville, Virginia, the small public school handed out 777 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 1.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Longwood come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and United Kingdom.
Read full report on Longwood University
Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the large public school handed out 4,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 2.5% are international. Students studying at Old Dominion come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
Read full report on Old Dominion University
Hampden - Sydney College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking. Hampden - Sydney College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia that handed out 230 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 0.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Hampden - Sydney are Colombia, Hong Kong, and Sweden.
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…
University of Mary Washington came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the small public school awarded 1,083 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 0.7% are international. Students studying at UMW come from such countries as United Kingdom, Australia, and China.
Read full report on University of Mary Washington
Radford University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking. Located in Radford, Virginia, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,766 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 0.6% are international. Students studying at Radford come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Canada, and China.
Full Radford University Report
Bridgewater College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia ranking. Bridgewater is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bridgewater, Virginia. It awarded 342 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 1.6% are international. Students studying at Bridgewater come from such countries as Australia, Mexico, and Palestine, State of.
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With a ranking of #24, Hampton University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Hampton University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hampton, Virginia that handed out 659 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 1.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Hampton are Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Sri Lanka.
Read full report on Hampton University
Emory and Henry College landed the #25 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Virginia. Located in Emory, Virginia, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 262 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 0.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Emory & Henry College come from such countries as United Kingdom, Germany, and China.
Full Emory and Henry College Report
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