Best Cities for International Students

Leaving home to study is exhilarating, though it often comes with many new choices – especially for those abroad.

With countless options for undergraduates, a recent study identified America’s best cities for international students. The study was conducted by CommercialCafe, a publication covering news, analysis, and insights on market trends.

The cities were ranked based on three categories that could really help students depending on their values and the kind of experiences they are looking to enjoy:

Do they want to live in the most affordable city?

Do they want to be around more international students, or more locals?

Do they value mostly pastimes and recreation?

CITIES SCORE BASED ON COMMUNITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND RECREATION

CommercialCafe broke each city down by international student community and support (50 points), affordability and green commuting (40 points), and fun and recreation (10 points).

To ensure fairness, cities were divided into small to mid-sized and large categories. Note that “mid-sized” only includes city limits. As a result, Miami, with about 450,000 people, is considered mid-sized, excluding its larger metropolitan area.

D.C. IN THE LEAD

So which city landed in the No. 1 place? For the best large city in the U.S for undergraduate international students, Washington D.C holds first place – winning by over six points. A good 7.1% of the nation’s capitals’ undergraduate population are international students. Though rent is third-highest of the top ten cities, it’s no wonder D.C. is a great city, with leisure scoring third highest at 419.9.

SECOND IS BOSTON

Next up in second place is Boston, Massachusetts with a total score of 52.5. Beantown has the highest percentage of international undergrads among the top ten, with an impressive 13.4%. Although rent is the highest, this reflects the area’s appeal as a global higher education hub. On the bright side, public transit here is quite affordable, ranking third-lowest in cost among the top 10 cities.

IN THIRD PLACE IS HOUSTON

In third place, you’ll find Houston, Texas, with a score of 47.1. They take the cake for most affordable, with average monthly rent costing just $1,024. They also had some of the lowest food costs, rent prices and public transportation fares. Their recreation score is also rather high at 312.7.

SMALL - MID CITY WINNER: CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS

For the small to mid-sized cities, it’s Champaign Illinois that rose to the top with a score of 65.5. Of their undergrads, they drew in 12.3% international students. They also have the lowest average monthly rent that is unbelievably still in the three figure range, at $947.

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