The US boasts some of the best STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) schools in higher education. Though many international students are already familiar with MIT, Cal Tech, and Stanford, other US universities offer fantastic STEM programmes that students should consider.

At Vela Education, we work to help students investigate all of their options. Below are some top STEM schools students should research.

Harvey Mudd: One of the famous Claremont Colleges, Harvey Mudd is a top STEM school that aims to train engineers, scientists, and mathematicians in the liberal arts model. Propelled by the belief that analytical work should be shaped by the questions posed by the humanities and social sciences, Harvey Mudd stands out amongst its peers. Also, the small student population, 900 students, means it has a great community that can be harder to find at large schools such as MIT and Stanford. Also, Harvey Mudd students can take classes at all the other Claremont Colleges: Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer.

Carnegie Mellon: Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon has strong academic programmes across the board. It is noted for is strong musical theatre program and its top-rated Computer Science department. In fact, it is Carnegie Mellon, not Stanford, that has the highest ranked undergraduate computer science major.  After computer science, the most popular majors are Statistics 8.8%, Electrical and Electronics Engineering 7.6%, Mechanical Engineering 7.1%, and Systems Science and Theory 6.9%. Carnegie Mellon has about a 15% acceptance rate, though the applicant pool is very “self-selecting” and it is highly competitive.

John Hopkins University: It’s a mid-sized university with the resources of a larger research institution. In fact, its funding has recently been dramatically increased when it received 1.8 billion from Michael Bloomberg. With one of the best medical schools in the US, it’s no surprise that JHU’s strongest departments are in related fields; the most popular majors are Public Health, 9.5%, Neuroscience 7.5%, Bioengineering and Biomedical engineering 7.2%, Computer and information sciences 7.1%, Cell/cellular and Molecular Biology 6.9%. JHU has an urban campus in Baltimore, Maryland which is also one hour away from Washington, DC. The student culture is intense and academically focused, but it can be a great fit for a future scientist!

Rice University: Located in Houston, Texas’s museum district, Rice offers a wonderful campus environment and first-rate resources. It’s a midsized school with just 4,000 undergraduates.  However, it has some of the highest test scores in the US; it’s ACT range for accepted students is 34-36!  The two most popular major on campus are Computer and Information Sciences (10.4%) and Biochemistry (5.9%). It also has a top-notch engineering programme!

These are just a few of the amazing STEM schools in the US! AT Vela Education, we work with students to find out what kind of US university experience they want and then help them curate an ambitious and responsible list. We recommend you consider scheduling a strategic consultation to begin the process!