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2021 Best Colleges for International Students in Massachusetts

59 Colleges
$53,522 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. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for International Students in Massachusetts ranking - to help you make that decision.

After analyzing 59 schools in Massachusetts, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for international students in Massachusetts. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the total number of international students at the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in Massachusetts for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Northeastern University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for international students in Massachusetts. Northeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 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.

Read More…

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Boston University. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in Massachusetts list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,788 students 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.

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

Read More…

3
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in Massachusetts list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,618 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 22.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Harvard come from such countries as 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.

Read full report on Harvard University

4

A rank of #4 on our list means Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a great place for international students in Massachusetts working on their bachelor’s degree. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,249 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 29.1% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at MIT are China, India, and Canada.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Massachusetts Institute of Technology Report

5

A rank of #5 on our list means Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a great place for international students in Massachusetts working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,143 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 14.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Vietnam come to WPI to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Full Worcester Polytechnic Institute Report

6

Brandeis University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. Waltham, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,396 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 24.7% are international. Students studying at Brandeis 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 90%.

Read More…

7

Bentley University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. 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. The top three countries sending students to study at Bentley are China, India, and Venezuela.

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

Read More…

8
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #8. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 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.

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

Read full report on Boston College

9
Babson College crest
Babson College
Wellesley, MA

With a ranking of #9, Babson College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts. Babson College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It awarded 607 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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

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

Read full report on Babson College

10
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA

Tufts University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,829 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 12.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Tufts to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full Tufts University Report

11

With a ranking of #11, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts. UMass Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,844 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.6% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UMass Amherst are China, India, and South Korea.

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

Read full report on University of Massachusetts Amherst

12
Mt. Holyoke crest
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA

Mount Holyoke College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking. Mt. Holyoke is a small private not-for-profit school situated in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It awarded 628 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 26.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Mt. Holyoke come from such countries as 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.

Read More…

13
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA

Wellesley College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #13. 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.

Around 13.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Wellesley come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Wellesley College Report

14
Smith crest
Smith College
Northampton, MA

Smith College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 772 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 13.3% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Smith are China, South Korea, and Canada.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Smith College Report

15
Clark crest
Clark University
Worcester, MA

Clark University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #15. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 631 students in 2020-2021.

Around 26.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Clark come from such countries as China, India, and Vietnam.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read More…

16
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA

With a ranking of #16, Williams College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts. Williams is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 678 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

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

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Williams College

17
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, MA

Amherst College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. Amherst College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Amherst, Massachusetts that handed out 468 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Amherst come from such countries as China, South Korea, and Canada.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Amherst College Report

18
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA

Emerson College landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts. Emerson is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, 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 More…

19
Olin College crest
Olin College
Needham, MA

Olin College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Needham, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 76 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 9.0% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Olin College are South Korea, China, and Singapore.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 Olin College

20

College of the Holy Cross did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts ranking, coming in at #20. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 877 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.0% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Holy Cross come from such countries as China, Canada, and South Korea.

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

Full College of the Holy Cross Report

21

With a ranking of #21, The New England Conservatory of Music did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts. The New England Conservatory of Music is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 95 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 42.7% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at The New England Conservatory of Music are China, South Korea, and Taiwan.

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.

Full The New England Conservatory of Music Report

22

University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, the fairly large public school awarded 3,168 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

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

Full University of Massachusetts - Lowell Report

23

Berklee College of Music landed the #23 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international 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.

Of the total number of students at the school, 25.3% are 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

24

Suffolk University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1,159 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 15.2% are international. Students studying at Suffolk come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.

Read full report on Suffolk University

25

Wentworth Institute of Technology ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in Massachusetts list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 877 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 WIT are Saudi Arabia, China, and Venezuela.

Read More…

Best Colleges for International Students in the New England Region

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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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