2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Australia
224
Colleges
$56,979
Avg Tuition & Fees*
83%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
After analyzing 224 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for Australian students. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the percentage of international students on campus.
See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.
Customizing Your List
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Top Colleges in the U.S. for Students from Australia
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named Columbia University in the City of New York the best school for Australian students working on their bachelor’s degree. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 2,654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 34.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Columbia to study.
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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,618 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 22.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Harvard are China, Canada, and India.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Harvard University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 6,752 bachelor’s degrees 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.
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.
Read More…
A rank of #4 on our list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for Australian students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school awarded 10,102 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
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
A rank of #5 on our list means University of Pennsylvania is a great place for Australian 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. The top three countries sending students to study at UPenn are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read full report on University of Pennsylvania
Stanford University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking. Located in Stanford, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 23.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Stanford to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read More…
University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian 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.
Of the total number of students at the school, 22.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC 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 University of Southern California
University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.2% are 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.
Read full report on University of California - Berkeley
Cornell University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking. Cornell is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,287 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 21.8% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Cornell 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 full report on Cornell University
Yale University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking, coming in at #10. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 21.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Yale are China, Canada, and India.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Yale University
University of Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,163 students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 26.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UChicago to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.
Read full report on University of Chicago
With a ranking of #12, Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,249 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
International students make up 29.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at MIT are China, India, and Canada.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report
With a ranking of #13, Princeton University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Princeton, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,175 students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 23.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Princeton come from such countries as China, Canada, and India.
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 More…
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 1,953 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 37.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Carnegie Mellon are 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.
Full Carnegie Mellon University Report
Johns Hopkins University landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,847 students in 2020-2021.
Around 19.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Johns Hopkins are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Johns Hopkins University Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. 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. The top three countries sending students to study at U-M are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read More…
Northwestern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking. Located in Evanston, Illinois, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 16.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Northwestern 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 Northwestern University Report
With a ranking of #18, Boston University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 24.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Boston U 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 Boston University Report
With a ranking of #19, Duke University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,319 students in 2020-2021.
Around 18.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Duke 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.
Read More…
University of Rochester ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Australian Students list. Located in Rochester, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,035 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 30.3% of the total student population at the school is 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%.
Read More…
Northeastern University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Australian Students list. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Northeastern University Report
With a ranking of #22, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the large public school awarded 6,496 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
International students make up 6.1% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UNC Chapel Hill 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 95%.
Read More…
Brown University landed the #23 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students. Brown University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Providence, Rhode Island that handed out 1,987 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 17.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Brown come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
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 Brown University
California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking, coming in at #24. 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 studying at Caltech come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California Institute of Technology Report
Boston College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Australian Students ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and it awarded 3,208 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Boston College are China, South Korea, and Spain.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full Boston College Report
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