The new edition of the annual QS Best Student Cities index will be published on 1 December, with the list extended to feature even more of the world’s top cities for students.
Designed to celebrate the planet’s most appealing urban study destinations, the index draws on a wide range of indicators to assess cities in five key categories: university rankings, student mix, employer activity, desirability, and affordability.
For the past three years the index has been topped by Paris, due to the French capital’s impressive selection of internationally ranked universities, combined with tuition fees which compare favorably to many of its rival study destinations.
Which cities tick all the right boxes?
This year the index will feature 75 cities around the world, extended from the current list of 50. To be considered for inclusion, each city must have a population of at least 250,000, and be home to at least two institutions included in the QS rankings.
A total of 18 criteria are used to create the index, including details of the city’s universities, student population and costs, as well as lifestyle and wellbeing indicators such as The Economist’s Safe Cities Index, Numbeo’s Pollution Index, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
The aim is to provide a rounded picture of how well each city meets the range of criteria considered by prospective international students and their families – universities, lifestyle, student community, employment prospects, and of course, the price tag.
The results are presented in an interactive table, which can be sorted on each of the five categories assessed, with supplementary information provided about each city’s performance on individual indicators.
In the latest edition, the UK capital dropped to third place, with Melbourne climbing to second. The top 10’s diversity – featuring cities across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America – is continued throughout the list, reflecting the global range of options available to today’s prospective international students.
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QS Best Student Cities 2016 – Coming Soon!
By Laura Bridgestock
Updated March 5, 2016 Updated March 5, 2016The new edition of the annual QS Best Student Cities index will be published on 1 December, with the list extended to feature even more of the world’s top cities for students.
Designed to celebrate the planet’s most appealing urban study destinations, the index draws on a wide range of indicators to assess cities in five key categories: university rankings, student mix, employer activity, desirability, and affordability.
For the past three years the index has been topped by Paris, due to the French capital’s impressive selection of internationally ranked universities, combined with tuition fees which compare favorably to many of its rival study destinations.
Which cities tick all the right boxes?
This year the index will feature 75 cities around the world, extended from the current list of 50. To be considered for inclusion, each city must have a population of at least 250,000, and be home to at least two institutions included in the QS rankings.
A total of 18 criteria are used to create the index, including details of the city’s universities, student population and costs, as well as lifestyle and wellbeing indicators such as The Economist’s Safe Cities Index, Numbeo’s Pollution Index, and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
The aim is to provide a rounded picture of how well each city meets the range of criteria considered by prospective international students and their families – universities, lifestyle, student community, employment prospects, and of course, the price tag.
The results are presented in an interactive table, which can be sorted on each of the five categories assessed, with supplementary information provided about each city’s performance on individual indicators.
In the latest edition, the UK capital dropped to third place, with Melbourne climbing to second. The top 10’s diversity – featuring cities across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America – is continued throughout the list, reflecting the global range of options available to today’s prospective international students.
Top 10 Cities for Students in 2015
Based on the QS Best Student Cities 2015
Overall rank
University rankings (score out of 100)
Student mix
(score out of 100)
Desirability
(score out of 100)
Employer activity (score out of 100)
Affordability
(score out of 100)
Paris
1
96
83
83
96
54
Melbourne
2
69
100
94
94
40
London
3
100
93
71
100
28
Sydney
4
65
95
98
94
36
Hong Kong
5
74
80
88
82
63
Boston
6
77
87
73
100
49
Tokyo
7
79
55
95
94
62
Montréal
8
63
96
83
78
60
Toronto
9
61
90
100
73
51
Seoul
10
87
71
66
94
54
See the full top 50 >
To be the first to get the new results on 1 December, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and join the conversation with #QSBestCities.
This article was originally published in November 2015 . It was last updated in March 2016
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The former editor of TopUniversities.com, Laura oversaw the site's editorial content and student forums. She also edited the QS Top Grad School Guide and contributed to market research reports, including 'How Do Students Use Rankings?'
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