2021 Best Colleges in the United States for Students from Saudi Arabia
With all of the options international students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
After analyzing 551 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for Saudi Arabian students. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, number of total international students at the school, and the percentage of international students on campus - to make this determination.
Get more details on 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 Saudi Arabia
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
University of Southern California tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Saudi Arabian students. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 5,337 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 23.9% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at USC come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
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. On top of its placing in this ranking, USC 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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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Boston University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Saudi Arabian students. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,780 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 24.8% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Boston U are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Boston U also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Northeastern University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Saudi Arabian students. Northeastern University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 4,127 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 32.5% are international. Students studying at Northeastern come from such countries as 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. In addition to its great ranking here, Northeastern is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Indiana University - Bloomington helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Saudi Arabian students. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 7,952 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 13.3% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at IU Bloomington are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. IU Bloomington 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian students list. ASU - Tempe is a large public school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 10,401 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 16.2% 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. ASU - Tempe also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 3,632 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 20.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UPenn are China, India, and South Korea.
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. 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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Harvard University landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. Harvard is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2,902 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 23.0% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at Harvard come from such countries as China, Canada, and India.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Harvard did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our overall quality list.
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University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large public school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 8,684 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.8% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at USF Tampa are India, China, and Saudi Arabia.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USF Tampa also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking, coming in at #9. This large private not-for-profit school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 2,702 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 36.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Columbia 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. Columbia 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 Delaware landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. Located in Newark, Delaware, the large public school handed out 4,849 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 9.5% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, Saudi Arabia, and India come to UD to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. In addition to its great ranking here, UD is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking, coming in at #11. This large public school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and it awarded 3,717 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 23.8% of the total student body at the school. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to Georgia Tech to study.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Georgia Tech 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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Georgetown University landed the #12 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,169 students in 2018-2019.
Around 17.3% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Georgetown are China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Georgetown also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Dayton did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking, coming in at #13. UDayton is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,167 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Around 9.0% of the total student population at the school is international. Students studying at UDayton come from such countries as China, Saudi Arabia, and India.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UDayton also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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George Washington University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 3,447 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 14.2% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at GWU come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. GWU 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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With a ranking of #15, University of Florida did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,663 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 8.4% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and South Korea come to UF 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. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #16, New York University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. NYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 6,658 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
International students make up 27.6% of the total student body at the school. Students studying at NYU come from such countries as China, India, and South Korea.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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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Michigan State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, the large public school awarded 8,997 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
International students make up 12.4% of the total student body at the school. The top three countries sending students to study at Michigan State are China, South Korea, and India.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Michigan State is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Pennsylvania State University - University Park came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. Located in University Park, Pennsylvania, the large public school awarded 10,893 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.1% are international. Students studying at Penn State University Park 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 93%. In addition to its great ranking here, Penn State University Park is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Rice University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 1,228 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 24.6% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at Rice are China, India, 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. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rice also is in the top 1% of our overall quality ranking.
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Southern Methodist University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Dallas, Texas, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,942 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 13.7% of the total student population at the school is international. Students from as far away as China, India, and Saudi Arabia come to SMU to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, SMU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #21, University of Miami did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students. Coral Gables, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,118 students in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 16.1% are international. Students from as far away as China, Kuwait, and Venezuela come to U Miami to study.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. U Miami 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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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,098 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 10.1% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at UT Austin are China, India, and South Korea.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. UT Austin 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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University of Colorado Boulder ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students list. CU - Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,744 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Around 8.7% of the total student population at the school is international. The top three countries sending students to study at CU - Boulder are China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CU - Boulder also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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Case Western Reserve University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 1,372 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 19.6% are international. The top three countries sending students to study at Case Western are China, India, and South Korea.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Case Western 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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Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Rochester, New York, and it awarded 2,648 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Of the total number of students at the school, 15.7% are international. Students from as far away as India, China, and Saudi Arabia come to RIT 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. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, RIT also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian 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 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 52 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 53 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 54 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 55 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 56 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 57 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 58 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
| 59 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 60 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 61 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL |
| 62 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
| 63 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 64 | University of San Diego | San Diego, CA |
| 65 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | American University | Washington, DC |
| 67 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
| 68 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| 69 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 70 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 71 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 72 | Kansas State University | Manhattan, KS |
| 73 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 74 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 75 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO |
| 76 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 77 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 78 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 79 | Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, FL |
| 80 | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA |
| 81 | Bentley University | Waltham, MA |
| 82 | Duke University | Durham, NC |
| 83 | Emory University | Atlanta, GA |
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Saudi Arabian Students ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 84 | Robert Morris University | Moon Township, PA |
| 85 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 86 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 87 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 88 | Gannon University | Erie, PA |
| 89 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 90 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 91 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 92 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln | Lincoln, NE |
| 93 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 94 | University of Evansville | Evansville, IN |
| 95 | College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
| 96 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 97 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 98 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 99 | Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, WI |
| 100 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 101 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 102 | Saint Joseph’s University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 103 | Lawrence Technological University | Southfield, MI |
| 104 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 105 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 106 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 107 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 108 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 109 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 110 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 111 | Yale University | New Haven, CT |
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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