International Education News

​​Ranking Indicators​​

The indicator sets used by QS to measure the Best Student Cities ranking are respectively:

• ​​University Rankings:​​ Includes the Indexed Score, Ranked Institutions Count Score, and Highest-Rank Score.

• ​​Desirability/Livability:​​ Includes Climate Score, Corruption Index, GaWC+, Healthcare Score, Pollution Score, Safety Score, Student Desirability, and Transport Score.

• ​​Affordability:​​ Includes Big Mac Index, Cost of Living Score, and Tuition Fees Score.

• ​​Employer Activity:​​ Includes Domestic Employer Score, International Employer Score, and Youth Employment Bonus.

• ​​Student Composition:​​ Includes International Student Ratio, International Student Numbers, Student Population Ratio, and Tolerance and Inclusion Score.

• ​​Student Perspective:​​ Includes Graduate Stay-on Score and Student Experience Score .

​​Top 10 Rankings Focus​​

In the 2026 global top 10 best student cities, Seoul surged directly from last year's 3rd place to claim the 1st position. Tokyo maintained its position, still ranked 2nd, while London, which had held the top spot for six consecutive years, now ranks 3rd .

Two Australian cities made the top ten: Melbourne ranked 5th and Sydney ranked 6th .

Munich, Germany, ranked 4th, while Berlin rose to 7th place. Paris, France, tied for 7th place. Zurich, Switzerland, ranked 9th .

Vienna, Austria, rose from last year's global rank of 14th to 10th globally .

​​Performance by Country/Region​​

​​China​​

In this ranking, a total of 8 cities from Mainland China made the list .

Beijing leaped from 31st last year to 13th. Shanghai rose from 46th last year to 27th. Nanjing ranked 69th, and Wuhan positioned at 90th, entering the TOP100 .

Hong Kong SAR rose from 22nd last year to 17th . In recent years, the popularity of studying in Hong Kong institutions has continued to climb. In the latest QS World University Rankings, Hong Kong universities collectively soared , fully demonstrating the region's strong academic and scientific research capabilities .

Representative universities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region include the "Hong Kong Eight", namely The University of Hong Kong (HKU, QS #11), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, QS #32), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST, QS #44), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU, QS #54), City University of Hong Kong (CityU, QS #63), Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Lingnan University Hong Kong (LU), and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) .

​​United Kingdom​​

In this ranking, a total of 8 UK cities entered the TOP50. They are respectively :

• London (3)

• Edinburgh (15)

• Glasgow (35)

• Manchester (40)

• Newcastle (41)

• Coventry (45)

• Bristol (47)

• Nottingham (49)

As an internationally recognized city of knowledge and a global academic center, London boasts numerous world-class universities. Among the G5 super-elite universities, London alone hosts three: UCL, Imperial College London (IC), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Furthermore, many other top universities are clustered here, including King's College London (KCL), Queen Mary University of London, the University of Westminster, and Royal Holloway, University of London .

​​Australia​​

A total of 6 Australian cities entered the TOP50. They are respectively :

• Melbourne (5)

• Sydney (6)

• Brisbane (26)

• Adelaide (31)

• Perth (37)

• Canberra (38)

Melbourne has once again been ranked as the best student city in Australia, marking its 12th consecutive year with this accolade, which sufficiently proves Melbourne's outstanding performance in education quality, life quality, and student opportunities .

Representative universities in Melbourne include the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Monash University, etc. The University of Adelaide also has a campus here. According to the latest QS World University Rankings, the University of Melbourne is ranked 19th globally,ranked first in Australia. .

​​United States​​

A total of 5 US cities entered the TOP50. They are respectively :

• Boston (15)

• New York (23)

• San Francisco (41)

• Los Angeles (43)

• Chicago (47)

The top-ranked US student city in this ranking is Boston. Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and also the largest city in the New England region of the northeastern United States, renowned as the "Athens of America". The Boston metropolitan area is home to over 100 universities, with more than 250,000 college students receiving education here. This includes two universities ranked in the world's top five: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University .

​​Canada​​

A total of 3 Canadian cities entered the TOP50. They are respectively :

• Montreal (18)

• Toronto (22)

• Vancouver (29)

The top-ranked Canadian city in this ranking is Montreal. Montreal is the second-largest city in Canada and also one of the regions with the densest concentration of universities in Canada. Here are located institutions such as McGill University, the University of Montreal, the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), and Concordia University .

Finally, please be reminded that rankings are for reference only. When choosing an institution, one should not only consider the city but also comprehensively evaluate based on your own actual situation .

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