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2021 Best Colleges in Massachusetts for Students from Canada

35 Colleges
$53,145 Avg Tuition & Fees*
76% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for international students. 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 Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Our analysis looked at 35 schools in Massachusetts to determine which ones were the best for Canadian students in Massachusetts. 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.

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Top Colleges in Massachusetts for Students from Canada

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Canadian students in Massachusetts. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,618 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 22.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Harvard are China, Canada, and India.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Harvard University Report

2

A rank of #2 on our list means Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a great place for Canadian students in Massachusetts working on their bachelor’s degree. 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 from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to MIT to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 24.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Boston U to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Boston University Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,358 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.

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 More…

5
Babson College crest
Babson College
Wellesley, MA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Babson College. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 607 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 25.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Babson College are India, China, and Thailand.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

6
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 3,208 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Boston College are China, South Korea, and Spain.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read More…

7

Bentley University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,123 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 17.1% are international. Students studying at Bentley come from such countries as China, India, and Venezuela.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

8
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

With a ranking of #8, Tufts University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,829 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 12.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Tufts to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Tufts University

9
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College landed the #9 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Wellesley is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 739 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 13.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Wellesley to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Wellesley College Report

10

Brandeis University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts list. Brandeis is located in Waltham, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,396 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 24.7% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Brandeis are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on Brandeis University

11

University of Massachusetts Amherst ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts list. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the large public school handed out 6,844 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 10.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UMass Amherst to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read More…

12
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA

Williams College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #12. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 678 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 8.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Williams are China, Canada, and South Korea.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Williams College

13

Berklee College of Music landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Berklee College of Music is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,313 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 25.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Berklee College of Music come from such countries as China, South Korea, and Canada.

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 Berklee College of Music

14
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, MA

Smith College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 772 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 13.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Canada come to Smith to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Smith College Report

15
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA

Amherst College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 468 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 10.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Amherst are China, South Korea, and Canada.

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

Read More…

16

The New England Conservatory of Music did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #16. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 95 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 42.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and Taiwan come to The New England Conservatory of Music 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 full report on The New England Conservatory of Music

17

Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,143 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 China, India, and Vietnam come to WPI to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Worcester Polytechnic Institute

18

College of the Holy Cross landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 877 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 3.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Holy Cross come from such countries as China, Canada, and South Korea.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on College of the Holy Cross

19
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA

Mount Holyoke College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking. Located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 628 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 26.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Mt. Holyoke are China, Vietnam, and Pakistan.

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.

Full Mount Holyoke College Report

20
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA

Emerson College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,005 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 11.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Emerson are China, Taiwan, and India.

Read full report on Emerson College

21

With a ranking of #21, University of Massachusetts - Lowell did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. This fairly large public school is located in Lowell, Massachusetts, and it awarded 3,168 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UMass Lowell are India, China, and Vietnam.

Read More…

22
Clark crest
Clark University
Worcester, MA

Clark University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 631 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 26.2% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Clark are China, India, and Vietnam.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

23

With a ranking of #23, Suffolk University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts. Suffolk is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,159 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 15.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Suffolk are China, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.

Read full report on Suffolk University

24
Merrimack crest
Merrimack College
North Andover, MA

Merrimack College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in North Andover, Massachusetts, and it awarded 909 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 1.9% are international. Students studying at Merrimack come from such countries as India, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Full Merrimack College Report

25

Wentworth Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Canadian Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 877 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at WIT are Saudi Arabia, China, and Venezuela.

Full Wentworth Institute of Technology Report

Best Colleges for International Students in the New England Region

View Best Colleges for International Students Nationwide >

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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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