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2021 Best Colleges for International Students in the Southwest Region

83 Colleges
$37,712 Avg Tuition & Fees*
52% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, international students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 International Students in the Southwest Region ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

After analyzing 83 schools in the Southwest Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for international students in the Southwest 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.

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 Southwest Region for International Students

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX

Our analysis found Rice University to be the best school for international students in the Southwest Region in this year’s ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 1,364 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.3% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Rice are China, India, 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.

Full Rice University Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Located in College Station, Texas, the large public school handed out 13,409 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Texas A&M College Station are China, India, and South Korea.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read More…

3

Out of the 83 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #3 spot on the list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 10,592 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UT Austin 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.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Methodist University. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Colleges for international students in the Southwest Region list. SMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,105 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 9.0% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at SMU come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

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 More…

5

A rank of #5 on our list means Arizona State University - Tempe is a great place for international students in the Southwest Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large public school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 14,829 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 10.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at ASU - Tempe are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read More…

6

With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. UT Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,825 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 India, China, and Taiwan come to UT Dallas to study.

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

Full The University of Texas at Dallas Report

7

University of Tulsa ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region list. University of Tulsa is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 794 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 10.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at University of Tulsa are China, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.

Read More…

8

Texas Christian University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,396 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.2% are international. Students studying at TCU come from such countries as Vietnam, China, and India.

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

Read More…

9

Baylor University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Waco, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,730 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Baylor are China, Nigeria, and South Korea.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read More…

10

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. This large public school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 5,069 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.0% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at University of Oklahoma are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

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

Read More…

11

University of Arizona came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is a large public school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 8,117 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 6.7% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at University of Arizona come from such countries as China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on University of Arizona

12

University of Houston landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. UH is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,890 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 7.0% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UH are India, China, and Vietnam.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full University of Houston Report

13
Trinity U crest
Trinity University
San Antonio, TX

Trinity University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region list. Trinity U is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 701 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 3.5% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Trinity U are China, Ecuador, and Mexico.

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.

Read full report on Trinity University

14

With a ranking of #14, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. This large public school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 4,913 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 5.2% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Saudi Arabia come to OSU to study.

Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Report

15

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Lubbock, Texas, the large public school awarded 6,884 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as India, China, and Bangladesh come to Texas Tech to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Texas Tech University Report

16
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region list. OCU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It awarded 443 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 5.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Singapore come to OCU to study.

Read full report on Oklahoma City University

17

With a ranking of #17, University of Dallas did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. Located in Irving, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 339 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 5.2% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at UD are India, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.

Read full report on University of Dallas

18

With a ranking of #18, University of Houston - Clear Lake did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 1,603 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 3.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UH Clear Lake come from such countries as India, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia.

Full University of Houston - Clear Lake Report

19

University of North Texas did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #19. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,156 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 7.5% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Saudi Arabia come to UNT to study.

Read More…

20
St. Mary's crest
St. Mary's University
San Antonio, TX

St. Mary’s University landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. St. Mary’s is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 532 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 4.7% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at St. Mary’s are Saudi Arabia, India, and Mexico.

Read full report on St. Mary’s University

21

Southwestern University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking. Southwestern is located in Georgetown, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 364 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Around 0.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Southwestern are China, Netherlands, and Nigeria.

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

Read full report on Southwestern University

22

Saint Edward’s University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 864 students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 4.1% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and France come to St. Edward’s University to study.

Full Saint Edward’s University Report

23

With a ranking of #23, Abilene Christian University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Abilene, Texas, and it awarded 817 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 2.9% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Abilene Christian are China, Honduras, and Japan.

Read More…

24

With a ranking of #24, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region. The University of Texas at Arlington is a large public school located in Arlington, Texas that handed out 8,852 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 8.2% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UT Arlington are India, China, and Nepal.

Full The University of Texas at Arlington Report

25

Dallas Baptist University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for international Students in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Dallas, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 625 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 12.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at DBU are China, India, and South Korea.

Read full report on Dallas Baptist University

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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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