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World-ranked universities with the most international students

Out of the 800 universities in the World University Rankings, not one US college appears in the top 30 with the most international students.

  • Rankings for Students
  • Study abroad
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Carly Minsky

September 30 2015
Around the world

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Not one US university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-16 has more than 35 per cent international students, contrasting with institutions in Asia, Oceania and Europe.

An analysis of universities in the rankings shows that 16 of the 30 universities with the highest percentage of international students are in the UK, seven are elsewhere in Europe and four are in Australia or New Zealand.

This may well come as a surprise, since the US has long been a popular destination for teenagers looking to study abroad.

The US was home to more than 800,000 foreign students in 2013-14, but it seems that overseas students spread themselves relatively thinly across different institutions.

Foreign students may be outnumbered at institutions within the US, but the US is represented in the top 30 for international students by the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, which has the highest proportion out of all the ranked universities at 82 per cent.

Close behind is the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK, with 70 per cent. The international community at the LSE currently counts 150 different nationalities among its numbers.

Switzerland has three universities with a high percentage of international students, partly due to bilingual campuses and low tuition fees even for non-European Union nationals.

Percentage of international students at top-200 universities, by country
Percent of international students - top 200 universities

Of all the 147 American universities ranked in the World University Rankings, not a single institution makes it into the top 30 for international students.

The top Carnegie Mellon University  in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It sits at position 37 with just under 35 per cent international students.

Imperial College London, with its strengths in science and engineering, is the highest ranked university that appears in the top 30 for international students. It ranks eighth in the world overall, and sixth for percentage of foreign students.

Universities by per cent of international students

Rank

University

Country

% International students

601–800

American University of Sharjah

UAE

82%

23

London School of Economics and Political Science

UK

69.7%

251–300

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Ireland

62.5%

31

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Switzerland

54.4%

193

University of Luxembourg

Luxembourg

51.7%

8

Imperial College London

UK

50.7%

401–500

City University London

UK

50.1%

88

Maastricht University

Netherlands

47.7%

86

University of St Andrews

UK

46.9%

14

(UCL ) University College London

UK

45.9%

301–350

Macquarie University

Australia

44.1%

601–800

Middlesex University

UK

43.7%

601–800

University of Westminster

UK

43.4%

401–500

Murdoch University

Australia

43.4%

401–500

Heriot-Watt University

UK

43.2%

601–800

Qatar University

Qatar

42%

98

Queen Mary University of London

UK

40.2%

131

University of Geneva

Switzerland

39.1%

301–350

University of Essex

UK

38.9%

301–350

University of Innsbruck

Austria

38.6%

201–250

Birkbeck, University of London

UK

38.4%

601–800

Auckland University of Technology

New Zealand

38.2%

401–500

Curtin University

Australia

37.9%

44

University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

38%

251–300

University of Surrey

UK

37.7%

401–500

Brunel University London

UK

37.5%

27

King’s College London

UK

37.2%

9

ETH Zurich–Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland

37.1%

129

Royal Holloway, University of London

UK

36.7%

80

University of Warwick

UK

36.6%

 


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