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2021 Best Colleges in the Plains States Region for Students from China

76 Colleges
$34,495 Avg Tuition & Fees*
55% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for international students. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking.

We analyzed 76 colleges and universities across the Plains States Region to determine which were the best for Chinese students in the Plains States Region. 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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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 Plains States Region for Students from China

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Our analysis found Washington University in St Louis to be the best school for Chinese students in the Plains States Region in this year’s ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,441 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.0% are international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to WUSTL to study.

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

Read full report on Washington University in St Louis

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese students in the Plains States Region list. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,414 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 10.0% are international. Students studying at UMN Twin Cities come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

A rank of #3 on our list means University of Iowa is a great place for Chinese students in the Plains States Region working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 5,998 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 5.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Iowa to study.

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

Read More…

4

Out of the 76 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,998 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 8.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Iowa State come from such countries as China, India, and Malaysia.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Iowa State University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school awarded 4,727 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 8.4% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UNL are China, Malaysia, and India.

Read More…

6

University of Kansas landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. KU is a large public school situated in Lawrence, Kansas. It awarded 4,600 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Saudi Arabia come to KU to study.

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 More…

7

University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Columbia, Missouri, the large public school handed out 5,114 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Mizzou to study.

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 University of Missouri - Columbia

8
SLU crest
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO

Saint Louis University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,833 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.6% are international. Students studying at SLU come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Saint Louis University Report

9

Kansas State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is located in Manhattan, Kansas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 3,967 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

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

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

Read More…

10
Macalester crest
Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN

Macalester College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 585 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 14.3% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Vietnam come to Macalester to study.

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 full report on Macalester College

11
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA

Grinnell College landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Grinnell, Iowa, and it awarded 496 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 19.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Grinnell to study.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Grinnell College Report

12
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN

With a ranking of #12, Carleton College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. Carleton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Northfield, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 517 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to Carleton to study.

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 More…

13
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN

St Olaf College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 942 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 9.9% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at St. Olaf are China, Vietnam, and India.

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

Read More…

14

North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,568 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at North Dakota State University are India, China, and Bangladesh.

Full North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

15

Truman State University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Truman State is a small public school situated in Kirksville, Missouri. It awarded 1,154 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 6.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, Nepal, and Vietnam come to Truman State to study.

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

Full Truman State University Report

16
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA

Drake University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region list. Drake is a private not-for-profit institution located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 838 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 2.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Drake come from such countries as Malaysia, China, and Vietnam.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Drake University

17

With a ranking of #17, Creighton University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. Creighton is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,429 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

International students make up 2.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Creighton are China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

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

Full Creighton University Report

18

University of Northern Iowa ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,555 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, China, and Mexico come to UNI to study.

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 University of Northern Iowa

19

With a ranking of #19, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 2,097 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UND are China, Canada, and Japan.

Full University of North Dakota Report

20

University of Minnesota - Morris came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Morris, Minnesota, the small public school handed out 304 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.5% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UMN Morris come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

Full University of Minnesota - Morris Report

21

University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. UMN Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,288 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 1.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UMN Duluth come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

Full University of Minnesota - Duluth Report

22

Missouri State University - Springfield came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Springfield, Missouri, the large public school handed out 3,641 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 2.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Missouri State come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and India.

Full Missouri State University - Springfield Report

23
Augustana Sioux Falls crest
Augustana University
Sioux Falls, SD

Augustana University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region list. Augustana University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that handed out 567 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 4.1% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Augustana Sioux Falls are Ethiopia, Norway, and China.

Read More…

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,863 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UMKC come from such countries as India, Saudi Arabia, and China.

Read More…

25
Cornell College crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, IA

Cornell College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Chinese Students in the Plains States Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and it awarded 314 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 4.5% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cornell College are China, Vietnam, and Japan.

Full Cornell College Report

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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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