Did you know that nearly a million international students pick the United States as their study destination each year? Many American schools and universities provide an excellent education with a high graduation rate. Below, we’ll look at some American colleges that have been named to two famous lists: Times Higher Education’s (THE) World University Rankings 2024 and U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges – National Colleges list for 2024. If you are a future international student considering studying in the United States, these five top-ranked American universities are excellent choices.
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is globally ranked as the 15th best university by THE. Moreover, it boasts a research quality score of 97.2 and a research environment score of 92.3 out of a possible 100. The university is famous for its excellent programs in medicine, computer science, public health, and physics. Roughly two out of three undergraduate students engage in research projects while pursuing their degree. Approximately two-thirds of its undergraduate students conduct research while pursuing their degrees.
Domestically, Johns Hopkins is tied for ninth place on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 National Universities list, as well as ninth on their national list of Most Innovative Schools. U.S. News placed it second (tied) for the top biomedical engineering program in the country and fourth for biotechnology. Its economics program is likewise highly respected, ranking #20.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University was placed #47 on the U.S. News & World Report’s National Universities list and #118 on THE’s global rankings for 2024. It is a public institution located in College Station, Texas (a booming college town and research centre about two hours east of Austin and an hour and a half north of Houston).
Texas A&M was founded in the 1870s as an agricultural and mechanical institution, but it has since evolved into an excellent choice for engineering and technology studies. THE ranks this public university’s engineering programs as #54 internationally, with the top ratings for research quality and industry links.
Similarly, for students interested in education, THE placed Texas A&M #54. Want to study physics, business, or economics? They also ranked in THE’s global top 100.
University of Pittsburgh
Established in 1787, the University of Pittsburgh is a publicly funded institution. With an urban setting and a campus size of 146 acres, the total undergraduate enrollment of the institution is 20,220 for the fall of 2023. It operates on a schedule that is based on semesters. The University of Pittsburgh is ranked #70 in the National Universities category in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. The cost of tuition and fees for in-state students is $21,926, while out-of-state students pay $41,430.
Pitt’s campus is located three miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. New students are not required to reside on campus, so you can select between on- and off-campus lodgings. Alternatively, “go Greek” and join one of around 40 fraternities or sororities.
Are you ready to explore? Pitt students can visit cultural centres throughout the city for free, such as the Andy Warhol Museum, so seeing new things does not have to be costly. City buses stop every 10-15 minutes on campus, and your bus pass is included in your tuition.
University of Arizona
Arizona State University (ASU) is ranked first on the U.S. News & World Report list of the Most Innovative Schools for 2024. This nationwide list recognizes colleges “that are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology, or facilities.” According to QS’ 2023 International Trade Rankings, ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management is also ranked first in the world for international trade, surpassing academic heavyweights such as Cambridge, Harvard, and Stanford. Overall, ASU is ranked #182 on THE’s Global University Rankings and tied for #105 on US News & World Report’s National Universities list.
ASU’s campuses throughout the greater Phoenix area have a student body exceeding 145,000. With more than 400 undergraduate programs and over 450 graduate degrees and certificates available, there is a wide range of options to select from. Criminology, journalism, government management, and fine arts such as ceramics and photography are among its top programs, with the criminology graduate program being ranked #2 in the US in 2022 by U.S. News.