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Rankings

Best Countries to Study Natural Sciences Abroad

The countries with the deepest options for studying natural sciences abroad are United States, United Kingdom, China — scored by BrightKey on the strength of each country's universities across six dimensions. But "most options" is not the same as "best fit for you": cost, visa, and outcomes matter just as much (see the honest note below).

Physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and earth sciences programs — for international students targeting research careers, PhD pipelines, or applied science roles in industry.

  1. 1

    United States

    19 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Princeton University, Brown University, Amherst College

    Universities for natural sciences in United States

  2. 2

    United Kingdom

    7 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of St Andrews, University of Warwick, University of Surrey

    Universities for natural sciences in United Kingdom

  3. 3

    China

    6 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, University of Science and Technology of China

    Universities for natural sciences in China

  4. 4

    Germany

    5 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich

    Universities for natural sciences in Germany

  5. 5

    Switzerland

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Geneva

    Universities for natural sciences in Switzerland

  6. 6

    France

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Sorbonne University, École Polytechnique, CentraleSupélec

    Universities for natural sciences in France

  7. 7

    Japan

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Osaka University

    Universities for natural sciences in Japan

  8. 8

    Spain

    3 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

    Universities for natural sciences in Spain

  9. 9

    South Korea

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: KAIST, POSTECH

    Universities for natural sciences in South Korea

  10. 10

    Denmark

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University

    Universities for natural sciences in Denmark

  11. 11

    Canada

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Waterloo, Dalhousie University

    Universities for natural sciences in Canada

  12. 12

    Australia

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Australian National University, University of Sydney

    Universities for natural sciences in Australia

  13. 13

    Israel

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Tel Aviv University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    Universities for natural sciences in Israel

  14. 14

    Italy

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Padua, Sapienza University of Rome

    Universities for natural sciences in Italy

  15. 15

    Brazil

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

    Universities for natural sciences in Brazil

  16. 16

    Mexico

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

    Universities for natural sciences in Mexico

  17. 17

    Colombia

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de Antioquia

    Universities for natural sciences in Colombia

  18. 18

    Vietnam

    2 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Vietnam National University, Vietnam National University

    Universities for natural sciences in Vietnam

  19. 19

    Europe (Other)

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Lund University

    Universities for natural sciences in Europe (Other)

  20. 20

    Netherlands

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Utrecht University

    Universities for natural sciences in Netherlands

  21. 21

    India

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Indian Institute of Science

    Universities for natural sciences in India

  22. 22

    Belgium

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Ghent University

    Universities for natural sciences in Belgium

  23. 23

    Austria

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: TU Wien

    Universities for natural sciences in Austria

  24. 24

    New Zealand

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Canterbury

    Universities for natural sciences in New Zealand

  25. 25

    Ireland

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Galway

    Universities for natural sciences in Ireland

  26. 26

    Taiwan

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: National Tsing Hua University

    Universities for natural sciences in Taiwan

  27. 27

    Saudi Arabia

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

    Universities for natural sciences in Saudi Arabia

  28. 28

    Norway

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Oslo

    Universities for natural sciences in Norway

  29. 29

    Czechia

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Charles University

    Universities for natural sciences in Czechia

  30. 30

    Poland

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Warsaw

    Universities for natural sciences in Poland

  31. 31

    Turkey

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Koç University

    Universities for natural sciences in Turkey

  32. 32

    Chile

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Universidad de Chile

    Universities for natural sciences in Chile

  33. 33

    Hungary

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Eötvös Loránd University

    Universities for natural sciences in Hungary

  34. 34

    Malaysia

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: Universiti Sains Malaysia

    Universities for natural sciences in Malaysia

  35. 35

    Bangladesh

    1 universities evaluated

    Leading universities: University of Dhaka

    Universities for natural sciences in Bangladesh

How we ranked these

Each country is scored on the depth of its universities offering natural sciences programs, rated across BrightKey's six dimensions (network strength, curriculum relevance, employability, teaching quality, institutional health, student experience; S=3, A=2, B=1). A higher score means the country offers more strong institutions for this field — not a single famous school.

An honest note

This list measures how many strong universities a country offers for natural sciences — which naturally favours countries with larger datasets (like the US). The "best" country for YOU also depends on cost, visa, language, and graduate outcomes — a country with fewer universities but lower fees and a friendlier post-study visa may be the better fit. Treat this as a starting point for exploration, not the final answer.

Reviewed by Priscilla Han. Editorial standards.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best country to study natural sciences abroad?

By depth of strong universities, United States, United Kingdom, China lead. But the "best" country depends on your budget, visa, and goals — see the honest note above.

How is this ranking calculated?

Each country is scored on the depth of its universities offering natural sciences programs, rated across BrightKey's six dimensions (network strength, curriculum relevance, employability, teaching quality, institutional health, student experience; S=3, A=2, B=1). A higher score means the country offers more strong institutions for this field — not a single famous school.

This ranking is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. BrightKey takes no payment from schools or universities. Our method →