2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Nigeria
International students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 475 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for Nigerian 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.
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Customizing Your List
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving 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 Nigeria
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Northeastern University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Nigerian students. Northeastern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 4,127 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 32.5% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Northeastern are China, India, and Taiwan.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Northeastern also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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A rank of #2 on our list means Columbia University in the City of New York is a great place for Nigerian students working on their bachelor’s degree. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,702 students in 2018-2019.
International students make up 36.3% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Columbia to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Columbia is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Out of the 475 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the #3 spot on the list. NYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,658 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
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.
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. NYU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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A rank of #4 on our list means Cornell University is a great place for Nigerian students working on their bachelor’s degree. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 4,145 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 22.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to Cornell to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Cornell also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian students list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the large public school awarded 3,717 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
Around 23.8% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Georgia Tech 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. Georgia Tech also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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University of Southern California landed the #6 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,337 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 23.9% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC 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. In addition to its great ranking here, USC is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Harvard University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking, coming in at #7. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,902 students in 2018-2019.
Around 23.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Harvard 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. In addition to its Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Harvard is ranked #3 for overall quality in the United States.
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Yale University landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,664 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 20.7% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Yale 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. On top of its placing in this ranking, Yale also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 600 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 41.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Illinois Tech come from such countries as China, India, and Spain.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Illinois Tech also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Boston University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,780 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 24.8% 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. In addition to its great ranking here, Boston U is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 8,983 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 22.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at UIUC 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. UIUC also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #12, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,848 students in 2018-2019.
Around 41.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Carnegie Mellon to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Carnegie Mellon also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Pennsylvania came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3,632 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 20.6% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UPenn to study.
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. In addition to its great ranking here, UPenn is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Duke University landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,303 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 21.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Duke 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. In addition to its Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Duke is ranked #2 for overall quality in the United States.
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Johns Hopkins University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1,747 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 20.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Johns Hopkins to study.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its great ranking here, Johns Hopkins is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Northwestern University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,770 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 17.1% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Northwestern are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Northwestern is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 13,198 students in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 8.0% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Texas A&M College Station are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Texas A&M College Station also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #18, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. UMCP is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 8,390 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
International students make up 12.6% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UMCP to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. UMCP excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Rochester ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. Located in Rochester, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,921 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 30.9% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at University of Rochester 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 97%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Rochester also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,684 students in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.8% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Saudi Arabia come to USF Tampa 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. On top of its placing in this ranking, USF Tampa also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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The University of Texas at Austin ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 10,098 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 10.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UT Austin to study.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UT Austin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Nigerian Students list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,333 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 29.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and Canada come to MIT to study.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MIT is ranked #5 for overall quality in the United States.
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Emory University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,598 students in 2018-2019.
International students make up 17.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Emory are China, South Korea, 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. Emory excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #24, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 7,815 students in 2018-2019.
Around 14.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at U-M 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 97%. On top of its placing in this ranking, U-M also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 9,627 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 17.0% are international. Students studying at UC Berkeley come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Berkeley also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of California - Berkeley Report
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for Nigerian students
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Narrow Colleges by Region
Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in the United States for International Students
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 52 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 53 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN |
| 54 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 55 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 56 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 57 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 58 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 59 | Princeton University | Princeton, NJ |
| 60 | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA |
| 61 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 62 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 63 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 64 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 65 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 67 | University of Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 68 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 69 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| 70 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 71 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 72 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Nigerian Students ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 74 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 75 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 76 | University of Massachusetts - Lowell | Lowell, MA |
| 77 | Michigan Technological University | Houghton, MI |
| 78 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 79 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 80 | Bentley University | Waltham, MA |
| 81 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 82 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, NJ |
| 83 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 84 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 85 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 86 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA |
| 87 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 89 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY |
| 90 | Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, FL |
| 91 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 92 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 93 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 94 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ |
| 95 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
More Nationwide Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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