The Top "Up-and-Coming" Universities in the United States

Many international applicants are only knowledgeable about (aka, obsessed with) a small number of colleges and universities in the United States.  MIT and UC Berkeley are wonderful schools that can provide a great education -- but the vast majority of undergraduate applicants will not be able to gain admission into these iconic schools.  The good news is that you do not have to go to MIT to get a very high quality education in the United States.  There are hundreds of excellent colleges and universities that have all the resources that any student could want.  However, sometimes you need to scratch beneath the surface to understand which schools really offer a great education and solid ROI.   

Below is a list of the best up-and-coming universities in the United States which might give potential undergraduate applicants some fresh ideas about possible schools for the upcoming application season. You may or may not have heard of some of these schools before – but you owe it to yourself to take a closer look at the unique value they provide to international students.

The Top Up-and-Coming Universities in the USA

Rank	School
#1	George Mason University  Fairfax, VA
#1	University of Maryland–​Baltimore County  Baltimore, MD
#3	Drexel University  Philadelphia, PA
#4	Arizona State University  Tempe, AZ
#5	University of Central Florida  Orlando, FL
#5	University of Southern California  Los Angeles, CA
#7	Clemson University  Clemson, SC
#7	Indiana University-​Purdue University–​Indianapolis  Indianapolis, IN
#7	Northeastern University  Boston, MA
#10	Portland State University  Portland, OR
#11	Purdue University–​West Lafayette  West Lafayette, IN
#12	Tulane University  New Orleans, LA
#13	University of Denver  Denver, CO
#14	University of Arkansas  Fayetteville, AR
#14	University of San Diego  San Diego, CA
#16	Biola University  La Mirada, CA
#16	North Carolina State University–​Raleigh  Raleigh, NC
#16	Ohio State University–​Columbus  Columbus, OH
#16	Virginia Commonwealth University  Richmond, VA

- Source: Forbes

When selecting your school list, it is important to strike a balance between cost, quality, future prospects for employment, and other intangible factors. When you create your “game plan” for the upcoming application season, be sure to have at least two or three schools which fall into the ‘match’ and ‘safety’ categories. Consider some of these schools above for your ‘match’ and ‘reach’ choices, and you’ll be in the good company of outstanding students regardless of which of these schools you choose to attend.

If you would like any help talking through the pros and cons of the undergraduate schools listed here, or making the decision about which schools are right to apply to, feel free to reach me at david@transcendadmissions.com.