Best Colleges For International Students

The number of international students attending U.S. colleges and universities has skyrocketed. We’ve compiled a list of five colleges that cater to international students.

Babson College
Babson Park, Mass.

Babson College is a private college for business administration and management nestled in a small town outside Wellesley, Mass. This is perfect for international students who often seek practical degrees that maximize their chances of employment.

Babson is multicultural; the class of 2020, for example, is made up of about 33% of international students who come from 47 different countries. Overall, Babson’s current student body represents more than 91 different countries.

Finally, Babson is one of the only private institutions in the U.S. that offers need-based financial aid for international students, which increases the socioeconomic diversity of the international student body. 

Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, Penn.

Bryn Mawr College is a small and private liberal arts school for women. It offers outstanding academic programs on a picturesque campus.

Bryn Mawr provides students the opportunity to study both STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and liberal arts subjects. More than one-third of the current student body majors in math and the sciences, which is three to five times the national average.

Bryn Mawr also is uniquely diverse, as one-third of its campus is comprised of students of color. It also has 23.3% international students who come from 60 different countries.

Claremont McKenna College
Claremont, Calif.

A private liberal arts college in sunny southern California, Claremont McKenna is a prestigious institution with a curricular emphasis on economics, government and public affairs. With an undergraduate student body of 1,349 students, Claremont McKenna graduates often become prominent politicians and business leaders, such as Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Starbucks Vice President Peter Thum.

International students who gravitate toward fields such as business, management, and engineering will find both an excellent education and a welcoming student body. Out of Claremont’s undergraduate student body, 16.7% are international students, representing 34 different countries overall.

Columbia University
New York, N.Y.

Part of the prestigious Ivy League, Columbia University consistently places at the top of most college rankings. As of 2017, it ranks fifth on two U.S. News lists: Best Colleges and Top 10 Universities Offering International Students Financial Aid. In fact, Columbia offered an average of $57,727 to international undergraduates during the 2015-16 academic year.

On campus, international students receive a top-notch education from gifted faculty. Off campus, students can explore the unmatched diversity of New York City. Prospective international students should take note that 19% of Columbia’s class of 2019 came from outside of the U.S., representing more than 65 different countries.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Mass.

One of the world’s best institutions for learning and exploration, MIT is the place to be for international students interested in STEM. Known for its research and education in physical sciences and engineering, MIT has produced 85 Nobel laureates, 52 National Medal of Science recipients, 45 Rhodes Scholars and 34 astronauts. Out of their 4,527 undergraduate students, almost 10% are international students who represent 96 different countries.