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2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Russia

246 Colleges
$53,774 Avg Tuition & Fees*
79% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Quality BadgeInternational students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking.

We analyzed 246 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for Russian students. 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 the U.S. for Students from Russia

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1

Northeastern University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Russian students. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,358 students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 29.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Taiwan come to Northeastern to study.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Northeastern University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Russian students list. Located in New York, New York, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,654 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 34.9% are international. Students studying at Columbia come from such countries as 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.

Read More…

3

Out of the 246 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 located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,752 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 27.6% are international. Students studying at NYU come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.

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.

Read full report on New York University

4

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Russian students. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,745 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

International students make up 22.5% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to USC to study.

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

Read full report on University of Southern California

5

Out of the 246 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Boston University landed the #5 spot on the list. Boston U is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 4,788 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 24.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Boston U 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 92%.

Read More…

6

Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,249 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 29.1% of the total student population at the school is international. 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

7

University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,499 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 19.5% of the total student body at the school. 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.

Full University of Pennsylvania Report

8

With a ranking of #8, Cornell University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,287 students in 2020-2021.

Around 21.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Cornell are China, India, and Canada.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Cornell University

9

Stanford University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 23.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Stanford come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

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 More…

10

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.8% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UCLA come from such countries as China, South Korea, and India.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Report

11

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking, coming in at #11. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 9,086 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 21.4% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UCSD to study.

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

Read full report on University of California - San Diego

12

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking, coming in at #12. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 16.3% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Northwestern 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.

Full Northwestern University Report

13

University of Chicago ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Russian Students list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,163 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 26.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at UChicago 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 100%.

Full University of Chicago Report

14

With a ranking of #14, Princeton University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Princeton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,175 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 23.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, Canada, and India come to Princeton to study.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read More…

15
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Yale University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Russian Students list. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,431 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 21.1% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Yale come from such countries as China, Canada, and India.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Yale University Report

16

With a ranking of #16, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,847 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 19.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Johns Hopkins to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read More…

17
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC

With a ranking of #17, Duke University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,319 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Of the total number of students at the school, 18.3% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Duke 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.

Read More…

18

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,333 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 8.6% of the total student body at the school. 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 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of South Florida - Main Campus

19

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking, coming in at #19. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 16.2% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, South Korea, and India come to UC Berkeley to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read More…

20

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the large public school handed out 9,305 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Around 19.2% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UIUC to study.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

21

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking, coming in at #21. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 13.9% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to U-M to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read More…

22

With a ranking of #22, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 227 students in 2020-2021.

Around 30.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at Caltech come from such countries as China, India, and Canada.

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

Full California Institute of Technology Report

23
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

Harvard University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,618 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Around 22.9% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Harvard are China, Canada, and India.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

24

With a ranking of #24, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9,451 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.

Of the total number of students at the school, 16.2% are international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UW Seattle to study.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read More…

25

With a ranking of #25, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Russian Students. Located in Rochester, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,035 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

International students make up 30.3% 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 92%.

Full University of Rochester Report

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for Russian students

Not only did these schools make the top 37 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
GWU Crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia
27
Brown Crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
28
Bentley Crest
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts
29
Carnegie Mellon Crest
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
30
31
32
U Miami Crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
33

34

35
36
Drexel Crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
37

Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Russian Students ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
38Babson CollegeWellesley, MA
39Texas A&M University - College StationCollege Station, TX
40Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, MA
41University of FloridaGainesville, FL
42Rice UniversityHouston, TX
43Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
44Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
45Pennsylvania State University - University ParkUniversity Park, PA
46Washington University in St LouisSaint Louis, MO
47University of Maryland - College ParkCollege Park, MD
48Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA
49Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC
50University of DelawareNewark, DE

More Rankings >

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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