The 10 Best Cities in the World for Students
10. Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver is the one of two Canadian cities on the top ten cities list as determined by QS Best Student Cities. The highest ranked university in the city is the University of British Columbia at 45th position as per the QS World University Rankings. Simon Fraser University is another desired institution due to its location in the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Centre that offers beautiful scenery. Vancouver's accessibility to beaches, mountains and forests make it one of the most loved cities in Canada.
9. Munich, Germany
Munich is German’s third largest city and is a desirable place to live due to its vibrancy and affluence. Out of the top 10 cities with QS Best Student Cities, Munich is the second most affordable city after Berlin. In Germany, public universities do not charge tuition fees for undergraduate programs regardless of nationality. The cost of living is slightly higher in Munich than in Berlin but the Bavarian culture makes Munich a sought after destination.
8. Boston, United States
Boston is the only American city to be featured in the QS Best Student Cities, coming in 8th position. The "affordability" category is the component that most US cities attain poor scores on. Boston scored great in the "university rankings" with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranking 1st and Harvard University ranking 3rd. The city also received a strong score in the "employer activity" category due to the reputation of the institutions globally. Art and culture, friendliness and ease of moving around also contributed to Boston's placement.
7. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is Asia’s second top student city after Seoul. Although the city has the lowest student population of any city in the index, Tokyo has 13 internationally ranked universities. Tokyo is a great destination for students who like local culture and the city is popular for its cosmopolitan nature. Good employment and internship opportunities are available to students due to its leading financial centre. Tokyo also received a high score in the "desirability" category, which takes into consideration the quality of living in the city and the demand of international students.
6. Berlin, Germany
Berlin is a bustling city and a hub for fashion, art and design. The affordability of tuition in the city makes it attractive to students and is one of the reasons why the city jumped three positions this year. All undergraduate degrees and some post graduate degrees are free in public universities, even for international students.
5. Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne has dropped three places in the rankings from 2016 . The drop was attributed to the city losing ground in the "affordability" category, an important one amongst students. However, it received the highest score for the "student Mix" category because students can be found from all corners of the world. The artsy city also scored well in the "desirability" category.
4. Seoul, South Korea
The South Korean capital has been labeled as an up-and-coming destination for students. Seoul ranked second in the "Employer Activity" category and ranked 3rd in the "University Rankings" category. Students find it hard to get bored in the city with so many around the clock activities taking place. There are not many other places where one can visit the local market at both 3 am or 5 pm.
3. London, United Kingdom
After the Brexit vote, there were fears that the United Kingdom would lose its reputation as a global study destination. However, the city ended up climbing up the rankings by two positions. Due to the decrease in value of the pound, the city has become more affordable for international students. London has a high concentration of world-class universities including University College London which is ranked 7th globally and Imperial College London which is ranked 9th globally according to the QS World University Rankings.
2. Paris, France
After maintaining the top spot for four consecutive years, Paris, France claims the second position. Paris's strong position can be attributed to being the home of many internationally ranked universities. In QS University Rankings, 18 universities located in Paris were featured, making the city have the highest number of leading institutions in the world. Although the cost of living is relatively high in Paris, tuition fees remain low.
1. Montreal, Canada
The Canadian city of Montreal has been ranked the best city for students in the world according to the report by the QS World University Rankings. Montreal is both a multilingual and multicultural city and received Intelligent Community of the Year in 2016. Montreal performed well in all six parameters it was assessed on including "New Student View Point". Some of the world's highest ranked institutions such as McGill University and the University of Montreal are found in Canada's second largest city. High ratings were also received in the categories of arts and culture, diversity, affordability and friendliness.
