In the past decade, Australian National University has been consistently ranked as the top university in Australia, among the top 20 universities in the world, and the highest ranked university outside of the United States and Britain by Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. Set in charming Canberra, the school offers undergraduates the choice of seven colleges at which to take an array of particularly challenging courses, and an even greater number schools for post-graduates. The ANU Student Association (ANUSA) greatly facilitates student involvement here, providing both international and domestic students with many activities, clubs, and societies.

Exchange students love it at ANU, and their experience is routinely made better by the excellent staff that is dedicated to facilitating their transitions to lives abroad. On-campus housing is very social—students regularly share collective meals at the dining halls—and lends itself well to partying and all sorts of other diversion (there are actually pubs in some of the on-campus residences). If you’re into the independent thing, ANU will assist you here, too, setting you up with an apartment and matching you with flatmates, if so desired.