Coming to the USA to study as an international student or exchange visitor on an F1 or J1 visa can feel scary. One of the reasons is because you may be afraid of being surrounded by fellow students who don’t share your native language or your cultural background. Will it be hard to make friends? Will you feel like an outcast?
However, the USA is a melting pot of cultures, and this diversity extends to its colleges and universities. Nearly a million international students enrolled in US schools during the 2021/2022 school year, and this was at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Suffice it to say, international students can be found on nearly every college campus in the United States, so you won’t be alone.
But which colleges and universities have the greatest numbers of international students? Using the numbers from College.edu, we can find out.
US Colleges and Universities with the Most International Students
For the 2021/2022 school year, these 20 schools had the largest number of international students enrolled.
| School Name | Number of International Students 2021/22 |
| New York University, NY | 21,081 |
| Northeastern University, MA | 17,836 |
| Columbia University, NY | 16,956 |
| University of Southern California, CA | 15,729 |
| Arizona State University, AZ | 15,293 |
| University of Illinois, IL | 12,833 |
| Boston University, MA | 11,798 |
| UC San Diego, CA | 11,279 |
| Purdue University, IN | 11,198 |
| UCLA, CA | 10,990 |
| UC Berkley, CA | 10,664 |
| University of Michigan, MI | 9,349 |
| Penn State, PA | 9,313 |
| University of Washington, WA | 8,682 |
| Carnegie Mellon University, PA | 8,196 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology, GA | 8,040 |
| Johns Hopkins University, MD | 7,893 |
| UC Irvine, CA | 7,888 |
| University of Texas – Dallas, TX | 7,741 |
| University of Wisconsin, WI | 7,686 |
US Colleges and Universities with the Largest Percentage of International Students
Obviously the schools with the greatest numbers of international students are going to be those with large enrollment numbers. But at what schools do international students make up the largest percentage of the student body? We have those numbers too.
| School Name | International Student Enrollment % 2021/22 |
| University of Rochester, NY | 25% |
| New York University, NY | 24% |
| Boston University, MA | 22% |
| Carnegie Mellon University, PA | 22% |
| Cardinal Stritch University, WI (defunct) | 21% |
| Brandeis University, MA | 20% |
| Florida Institute of Technology, FL | 19% |
| Emory University, GA | 17% |
| UC San Diego, CA | 16% |
| University of Chicago, IL | 16% |
Conclusion
Whether these numbers impact your likelihood to apply to a particular school or not is a personal decision. However, it is a smart idea to do as much research as possible about where you’d like to study. Even though all American college campuses are fairly diverse, it’s good to know as much as possible about the place you may spend the next four or more years.
