Lisbon

QS Best Student Cities ranking: 52nd

Located on Portugal’s west coast, Lisbon (or Lisboa) is pretty much everything you could want from a European capital city: rich in culture, character and history, full of great food, wine, music and nightlife.

Against an attractive backdrop of historic buildings, winding streets and vintage trams, Lisbon offers an eclectic selection of activities and experiences, from traditional fado music to new electronic bands, and from traditional public baths to lively cafés and even livelier nightclubs.

The great scenery in Lisbon is made all the better due to the city’s hilly terrain, and although this makes walking and cycling more of an effort, the views (and the improved fitness levels) are most definitely worth it.

Two public universities in Lisbon are featured in the QS World University Rankings® 2020 – the University of Lisbon (joint 338^th) and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (joint 421st) – as well as one private institution – the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Lisboa (801-1000).

Lisbon’s been well received by its students, with a lot of praise in our student survey – and not just for the idyllic weather! When asked to name the best things about studying in Lisbon, one respondent mentioned: “Quality of life of the city, diversity of backgrounds of students and teachers, extreme tolerance/embracing of that diversity by the city's population and the quality of the education.”

Would Lisbon get your vote? Tell us why.

Internationally ranked universities in Lisbon

More about Lisbon

To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.