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2021 Best Colleges for International Students in District of Columbia

6 Colleges
$44,677 Avg Tuition & Fees*
63% 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. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Colleges for International Students in District of Columbia ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

We analyzed 6 colleges and universities across District of Columbia to determine which were the best for international students in District of Columbia. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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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.

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 District of Columbia for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC

Georgetown University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for international students in District of Columbia. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,120 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 17.7% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Georgetown to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Georgetown University

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Washington University. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 3,572 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 12.3% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at GWU come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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

Full George Washington University Report

3
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at American University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in District of Columbia. The American University is located in Washington, District of Columbia and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,109 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 12.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at The American University come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Read More…

4

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Catholic University of America helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for international students in District of Columbia. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 884 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 8.6% are international. Students studying at CUA come from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and China.

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

Read full report on Catholic University of America

5
Howard crest
Howard University
Washington, DC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Howard University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in District of Columbia list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,542 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Howard come from such countries as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Jamaica.

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

Read More…

6
Gallaudet crest
Gallaudet University
Washington, DC

Gallaudet University landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in District of Columbia. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 209 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.7% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Gallaudet are Saudi Arabia, Canada, and China.

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 Gallaudet University Report

Best Colleges for International Students in the Middle Atlantic Region

View Best Colleges for International Students Nationwide >

More District of Columbia Rankings

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 6 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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