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2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Iran

270 Colleges
$46,275 Avg Tuition & Fees*
67% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Quality BadgeInternational students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Iranian Students ranking.

We analyzed 270 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for Iranian students. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the total number of international students at the school and the school's overall quality.

Find out 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.

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

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our 2021 rankings named Northeastern University the best school for Iranian students working on their bachelor’s degree. Northeastern is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,358 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 29.2% of the total student population at the school is 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…

2

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Iranian students. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 22.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at USC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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

Full University of Southern California Report

3

A rank of #3 on our list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for Iranian students working on their bachelor’s degree. This large public school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 9,305 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UIUC are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

4

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Iranian students. This large public school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 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.

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 More…

5

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Irvine helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Iranian students. This large public school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 9,882 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.4% are international. Students studying at UC Irvine 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.

Full University of California - Irvine Report

6

With a ranking of #6, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13,409 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, India, and South Korea come to Texas A&M College Station to study.

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

Read More…

7
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students ranking, coming in at #7. Virginia Tech is a large public school located in Blacksburg, Virginia that handed out 7,699 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 9.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Virginia Tech are China, India, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read More…

8

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. This large public school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 3,879 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 24.7% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Georgia Tech to study.

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

Read full report on Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

9

Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 620 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 33.9% are international. Students studying at Illinois Tech come from such countries as China, India, and Spain.

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

Read full report on Illinois Institute of Technology

10

Stanford University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. 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.

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…

11

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 13.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UCLA 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 - Los Angeles Report

12

North Carolina State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,377 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.1% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at NC State come from such countries as India, China, and South Korea.

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

Full North Carolina State University Report

13

University of California - San Diego ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,086 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 21.4% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UCSD 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 94%.

Read More…

14

Carnegie Mellon University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,953 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 37.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Carnegie Mellon come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

15

With a ranking of #15, Boston University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. Boston University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 24.6% of the total student body at the school. 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 More…

16

Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Iranian Students ranking. Columbia is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,654 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 34.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Columbia are 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 Columbia University in the City of New York Report

17

New York University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students 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.

Around 27.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at NYU are China, India, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

18

Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students ranking, coming in at #18. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,249 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 29.1% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at MIT come from such countries as 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 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report

19
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

With a ranking of #19, University of Florida did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 9,775 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 7.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UF come from such countries as 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 Florida

20

With a ranking of #20, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. UMCP is a large public school situated in College Park, Maryland. It awarded 8,838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 10.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UMCP to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on University of Maryland - College Park

21

With a ranking of #21, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. University at Buffalo is a large public school situated in Buffalo, New York. It awarded 5,623 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 16.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at University at Buffalo are India, China, and South Korea.

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

Full University at Buffalo Report

22

With a ranking of #22, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,450 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Michigan State to study.

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

Read full report on Michigan State University

23

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,451 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UW Seattle to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

24

The University of Texas at Dallas landed the #24 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Iranian Students. This large public school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 4,825 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 14.5% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Taiwan come to UT Dallas to study.

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

Read full report on The University of Texas at Dallas

25

Northwestern University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Iranian Students list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,722 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 16.3% are international. Students studying at Northwestern 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.

Read full report on Northwestern University

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for Iranian students

Not only did these schools make the top 41 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Cornell Crest
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
27
UPenn Crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
28
29
Lehigh Crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
30
Rice Crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas
31
32
33

34

35
UCONN Crest
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut
36
37
38
WPI Crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
39
40
41

Honorable Mentions

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

RankCollegeLocation
42Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
43University of RochesterRochester, NY
44Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, NJ
45Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
46Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ
47California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA
48Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD
49University of DelawareNewark, DE
50Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
51George Washington UniversityWashington, DC
52Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
53Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA
54University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL

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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