2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Canada
691
Colleges
$57,036
Avg Tuition & Fees*
82%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for international students. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
We analyzed 691 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for Canadian 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 the U.S. for Students from Canada
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Columbia University in the City of New York to be the best school for Canadian students in this year’s ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 2,654 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 34.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Columbia to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Columbia University in the City of New York
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York University. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian students list. 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.
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.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on New York University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Full Cornell University Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,618 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 22.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Harvard to study.
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.
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A rank of #5 on our list means University of Southern California is a great place for Canadian students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,745 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read More…
University of Pennsylvania came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 3,499 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 19.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UPenn 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.
Read full report on University of Pennsylvania
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking, coming in at #7. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.2% are international. Students studying at UC Berkeley come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read More…
Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. MIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, 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.
Read full report on Massachusetts Institute of Technology
With a ranking of #9, Stanford University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian 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.
Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Stanford are China, India, and Canada.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Stanford University Report
Boston University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students list. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 24.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Boston U are 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.
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University of California - Los Angeles landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 13.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to UCLA to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on University of California - Los Angeles
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,953 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 37.1% are international. Students studying at Carnegie Mellon come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Carnegie Mellon University Report
Northwestern University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 16.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Northwestern 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.
Full Northwestern University Report
Yale University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian 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.
Around 21.1% of the total student population at the school is international. 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 #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 26.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UChicago 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.
Read full report on University of Chicago
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. U-M is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 13.9% of the total student body at the school. 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 full report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Princeton University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking, coming in at #17. Princeton University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Princeton, New Jersey that handed out 1,175 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Around 23.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Princeton come from such countries as 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.
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Johns Hopkins University landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 1,847 bachelor’s degrees 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Northeastern University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,358 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 29.2% are international. Students studying at Northeastern come from such countries as China, India, and Taiwan.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read More…
Duke University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,319 bachelor’s degrees 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.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Duke University
California Institute of Technology ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 227 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 30.5% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Caltech to study.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full California Institute of Technology Report
Brown University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking, coming in at #22. Brown is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,987 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 17.7% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Brown to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Brown University Report
With a ranking of #23, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 2,441 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
International students make up 21.0% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at WUSTL are China, South Korea, and India.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read More…
With a ranking of #24, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,384 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
Of the total number of students at the school, 15.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Dartmouth are China, India, and Canada.
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 Dartmouth College
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students ranking, coming in at #25. 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.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UW Seattle are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report
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