Is Rutgers or Edinburgh better for a study abroad feel?

For an American student, the University of Edinburgh will feel much more like a true study abroad experience. You would be living in a different country, adjusting to a different academic system, hearing different accents and perspectives every day, and being surrounded by an international student population. Rutgers can absolutely be diverse and lively, but it will still feel like attending a U.S. university in your home country’s educational and cultural system.

Edinburgh especially fits a student who wants daily reminders that they are somewhere new. The city itself matters here as much as the university. Edinburgh is a historic capital city with an international presence, and a student culture that mixes locals with people from many countries. Even ordinary things like class structure, housing, travel, and social life are likely to feel different from what an American student is used to.

Rutgers fits someone who wants some of the benefits people associate with study abroad, but without the full cultural jump. It has a very diverse student body, multiple campuses, and access to major cities like New York and Philadelphia, so you can meet people from many backgrounds. But the rhythm of campus life, the classroom expectations, and the broader culture will still be recognizably American, so it is less likely to give that far-from-home feeling you described.

If what you want most is cultural distance, international mix, and the sense that your day-to-day life has shifted in a real way, Edinburgh is the clearer match. Rutgers makes more sense for someone who wants diversity and a big-university environment while staying in a more familiar setting.