QS is proud to announce the first ever QS Best Student Cities ranking. Based on a complex set of measures taken from public information, surveys and data submitted as part of the QS World University Rankings, the results provide a new way of comparing the best cities around the world in which to be a student.
Click the city name in the table below in order to view the full details and profile for that city, including a list of all of the qualifying educational institutions, population size, quality of living, affordability and student mix.
QS Best Student cities 2012
| RANK | CITY (Click to view profile) | COUNTRY | STUDENT MIX | QUALITY OF LIVING | EMPLOYER ACTIVITY | AFFORDABILITY | OVERALL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris | France | 85 | 91 | 96 | 54 | 421 |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom | 87 | 88 | 89 | 41 | 405 |
| 3 | Boston | United States | 85 | 89 | 83 | 44 | 399 |
| 4 | Melbourne | Australia | 100 | 94.5 | 84 | 28 | 398 |
| 5 | Vienna | Austria | 99 | 99.5 | 81 | 62 | 389 |
| 6 | Sydney | Australia | 94 | 97 | 81 | 25 | 384 |
| 7 | Zurich | Switzerland | 84 | 99 | 81 | 51 | 381 |
| 8 | Berlin | Germany | 81 | 95 | 57 | 71 | 376 |
| 8 | Dublin | Ireland | 92 | 91.5 | 70 | 43 | 376 |
| 10 | Montreal | Canada | 85 | 93 | 68 | 46 | 372 |
| 11 | Barcelona | Spain | 76 | 87 | 71 | 61 | 370 |
| 12 | Singapore | Singapore | 78 | 92 | 100 | 35 | 369 |
| 13 | Munich | Germany | 79 | 98.5 | 63 | 69 | 368 |
| 14 | Lyon | France | 88 | 87.5 | 43 | 81 | 367 |
| 15 | Chicago | United States | 62 | 85.5 | 72 | 44 | 357 |
| 16 | Madrid | Spain | 73 | 85.5 | 64 | 66 | 356 |
| 17 | San Francisco | United States | 67 | 91 | 72 | 43 | 353 |
| 18 | New York | United States | 63 | 83.5 | 73 | 35 | 352 |
| 19 | Tokyo | Japan | 43 | 84 | 83 | 46 | 351 |
| 19 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 74 | 50 | 92 | 42 | 351 |
| 21 | Milan | Italy | 63 | 86 | 89 | 54 | 350 |
| 22 | Brisbane | Australia | 94 | 88.5 | 63 | 30 | 349 |
| 23 | Seoul | Korea, South | 67 | 50 | 82 | 53 | 345 |
| 24 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 54 | 50 | 93 | 75 | 339 |
| 25 | Perth | Australia | 95 | 93.5 | 53 | 28 | 337 |
| 26 | Toronto | Canada | 70 | 95.5 | 75 | 35 | 336 |
| 27 | Stockholm | Sweden | 66 | 94 | 79 | 34 | 335 |
| 28 | Beijing | China | 48 | 50 | 87 | 62 | 329 |
| 29 | Adelaide | Australia | 88 | 91 | 45 | 34 | 327 |
| 30 | Washington DC | United States | 60 | 85.5 | 55 | 45 | 325 |
| 31 | Vancouver | Canada | 78 | 98 | 54 | 37 | 322 |
| 31 | Mexico City | Mexico | 38 | 50 | 68 | 95 | 322 |
| 33 | Helsinki | Finland | 58 | 89.5 | 53 | 69 | 321 |
| 34 | Taipei | Taiwan | 49 | 50 | 59 | 78 | 320 |
| 35 | Manchester | United Kingdom | 82 | 50 | 66 | 64 | 317 |
| 36 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 62 | 96.5 | 57 | 44 | 316 |
| 37 | Moscow | Russia | 57 | 50 | 78 | 52 | 314 |
| 38 | Brussels | Belgium | 71 | 93 | 40 | 60 | 308 |
| 39 | Shanghai | China | 43 | 50 | 70 | 68 | 306 |
| 39 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 64 | 97.5 | 56 | 31 | 306 |
| 41 | Santiago | Chile | 33 | 50 | 89 | 63 | 302 |
| 42 | Philadelphia | United States | 56 | 50 | 64 | 52 | 301 |
| 43 | Kyoto | Japan | 60 | 83 | 44 | 47 | 298 |
| 44 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 58 | 50 | 45 | 86 | 295 |
| 45 | Sao Paulo | Brazil | 27 | 50 | 79 | 58 | 292 |
| 46 | Toulouse | France | 86 | 50 | 26 | 81 | 286 |
| 47 | Birmingham | United Kingdom | 64 | 50 | 55 | 64 | 284 |
| 48 | Cairo | Egypt | 47 | 50 | 55 | 96 | 282 |
| 49 | Bangkok | Thailand | 27 | 50 | 63 | 68 | 279 |
| 50 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | 68 | 50 | 43 | 63 | 278 |
Join the conversation on Facebook
Join the discussion now on the QS Best Student Cities Facebook page. Why is your city the best? What made you choose your place of study? Why would you recommend it to others?
The Methodology
How are the QS Best Student Cities calculated? What makes up the data that the QS Intelligence Unit apply to the rankings and how important are certain measures against others?
Read the Methodology now
