The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.
At some colleges and universities, international students represent a fifth or more of the student body, adding to a school’s diversity and helping the campus community learn about different cultures.
During the 2015-2016 school year, for example, Florida Institute of Technology had 33 percent of bachelor’s-seeking students from abroad. The school had the highest percentage of international students for the 2015-2016 school year among the 297 ranked institutions that submitted these data to U.S. News in an annual survey.
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Of the 10 schools with the highest percentage of international students, one school had an especially large undergraduate enrollment: University of California–San Diego. Of the 26,590 undergrads during the 2015-2016 school year, 22.8 percent were from abroad.
The smallest school in the top 10 list is Illinois Institute of Technology, which enrolled 2,991 undergrads during that school year.
Each of the 10 schools is a National University, which means they provide a wide range of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees.
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Three of the 10 schools are new to the top 10 list: Massachusetts’ Suffolk University, with 23.2 percent of international undergrads; Boston University, with 20.5 percent; and Brandeis University, also in Massachusetts, with 20 percent.
St. John Fisher College had the lowest percentage of international students among National Universities for the 2015-2016 academic year. Out of 2,805 undergraduates, the proportion from abroad was just 0.3 percent at the New York college.
Below are the 10 schools with the highest percentage of undergraduate international student enrollment during the 2015-2016 school year. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| National University (state) | Percentage of international students | Total undergraduate enrollment | U.S. News rank |
| Florida Institute of Technology | 33% | 3,586 | 171 (tie) |
| New School (NY) | 32.4% | 6,792 | 129 (tie) |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | 26.5% | 2,991 | 103 (tie) |
| University of Tulsa (OK) | 25.8% | 3,478 | 86 (tie) |
| Suffolk University (MA) | 23.2% | 5,565 | 188 (tie) |
| University of California–San Diego | 22.8% | 26,590 | 44 (tie) |
| Carnegie Mellon University (PA) | 22.4% | 6,454 | 24 (tie) |
| Boston University | 20.5% | 17,932 | 39 (tie) |
| Brandeis University (MA) | 20% | 3,621 | 34 (tie) |
| Northeastern University (MA) | 19.9% | 13,697 | 39 (tie) |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find international student enrollment data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2016 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The international student enrollment data above are correct as of Aug. 1, 2017.
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10 Schools That Attract the Most International Students originally appeared on usnews.com
