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2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from United Kingdom

556 Colleges
$57,211 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. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for British Students ranking.

We analyzed 556 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for British 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 United Kingdom

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found Columbia University in the City of New York to be the best school for British students in this year’s ranking. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school located in New York, New York that handed out 2,654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 34.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Columbia 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.

Full Columbia University in the City of New York Report

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Out of the 556 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Harvard University Report

3

A rank of #3 on our list means New York University is a great place for British students working on their bachelor’s degree. NYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, 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. The top three countries sending students to study at NYU are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Full New York University Report

4

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for British students. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,745 students in 2020-2021.

Around 22.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at USC are China, India, and South Korea.

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 More…

5

A rank of #5 on our list means University of Pennsylvania is a great place for British students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 3,499 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 19.5% are international. Students studying at UPenn 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 University of Pennsylvania

6
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for British Students ranking. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 1,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Yale University

7

Princeton University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for British Students ranking. 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.

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 More…

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 16.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UC Berkeley are China, South Korea, and India.

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

Full University of California - Berkeley Report

9

Stanford University landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. 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. The top three countries sending students to study at Stanford are China, India, and Canada.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Stanford University

10

Northeastern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for British Students list. Northeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4,358 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 29.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Northeastern are China, India, and Taiwan.

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

Read More…

11

Cornell University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for British Students ranking. Located in Ithaca, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 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 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 Cornell University

12

Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 1,249 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 29.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at MIT come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report

13

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 10,102 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UCLA are 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.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Report

14

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students ranking, coming in at #14. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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

With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

15
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

Duke University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,319 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 18.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Duke are China, India, and South Korea.

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.

Read full report on Duke University

16

Boston University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students ranking, coming in at #16. 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.

Around 24.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Boston U come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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 More…

17

Northwestern University landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. 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.

International students make up 16.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern to study.

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

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for British Students list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,144 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.9% are international. Students studying at U-M come from such countries as 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.

Read full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

19
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI

Brown University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for British Students list. Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Providence, Rhode Island. It awarded 1,987 bachelor’s degrees 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 Brown are China, India, and Canada.

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…

20

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Pasadena, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 227 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 30.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Caltech to study.

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.

Read full report on California Institute of Technology

21

Johns Hopkins University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for British Students ranking. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,847 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 19.2% are international. Students studying at Johns Hopkins come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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.

Read More…

22
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students ranking, coming in at #22. 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.

International students make up 17.7% of the total student body at the school. 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 More…

23

University of Rochester came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for British Students ranking. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,035 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 30.3% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at University of Rochester are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Full University of Rochester Report

24

With a ranking of #24, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for British 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

25

With a ranking of #25, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for British Students. University of California - San Diego is a large public school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 21.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UCSD come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read More…

Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for British 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
U Miami Crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
28
Boston College Crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
29
Dartmouth Crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, New Hampshire
30
Emory Crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
31
University of Virginia Crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
32
33

34
Notre Dame Crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

35
Syracuse Crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
36
GWU Crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
37
Tufts Crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts
38
Babson College Crest
Babson College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
39
40
41
42
UF Crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
43

44

45
Rice Crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas
46
Mt. Holyoke Crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts
47
48
49
50

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 Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
52Pennsylvania State University - University ParkUniversity Park, PA
53Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
54University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
55Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
56Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA
57Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
58The New SchoolNew York, NY
59University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA
60Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT
61Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN
62University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
63Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
64University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
65Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA
RankCollegeLocation
66Washington University in St LouisSaint Louis, MO
67North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
68Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
69Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA
70Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA
71University of California - Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA
72Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA
73Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
74Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, RI
75Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
76American UniversityWashington, DC
77Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
78Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA
79Illinois Institute of TechnologyChicago, IL
80Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA
81Lafayette CollegeEaston, PA
82Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
83University of TulsaTulsa, OK
84Clark UniversityWorcester, MA

Honorable Mentions

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

RankCollegeLocation
85Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, NY
86Trinity CollegeHartford, CT
87Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
88University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
89Savannah College of Art and DesignSavannah, GA
90Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA
91Amherst CollegeAmherst, MA
92Williams CollegeWilliamstown, MA
93University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburgh, PA
94Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
95Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA
96Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
97Barnard CollegeNew York, NY
98Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
99University of IowaIowa City, IA
RankCollegeLocation
100Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
101Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
102Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
103University of DenverDenver, CO
104Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
105Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, PA
106Pitzer CollegeClaremont, CA
107William & MaryWilliamsburg, VA
108Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, PA
109Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA
110Berklee College of MusicBoston, MA
111University of HoustonHouston, TX
112Colorado School of MinesGolden, CO

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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