In accordance with Germany’s growing status as an international study destination, the country now has not just one but two entries in the top five of this year’s QS Best Student Cities. Munich has climbed two places this year, putting it just ahead of Germany’s capital, Berlin.
Munich’s improved spot in this year’s ranking was no doubt helped by an impressive increase in its score for the student view indicator, which is based on a global survey of students. Munich is now the joint most popular city with students, something which is no doubt partly due to the city’s affordability, ease of getting around, nightlife and friendliness.
Munich also ranks among the best in the world for desirability, which draws on a broad selection of sources designed to assess quality of life.
Most notably, however, Munich has a high score for affordability. This is due to the fact no tuition fees are charged for undergraduate students at public universities in the majority of Germany, regardless of nationality.
Living costs tend to be slightly higher in Munich than Berlin, which may help to explain why Berlin ranks slightly higher than Munich in the affordability indicator. Despite this, the incentive of free tuition combined with the distinctive Bavarian culture combines to make Munich one of the most appealing study destinations in Western Europe.
Munich
By Staff Writer
Updated February 23, 2021 Updated February 23, 2021QS Best Student Cities ranking: 4th
In accordance with Germany’s growing status as an international study destination, the country now has not just one but two entries in the top five of this year’s QS Best Student Cities. Munich has climbed two places this year, putting it just ahead of Germany’s capital, Berlin.
Munich’s improved spot in this year’s ranking was no doubt helped by an impressive increase in its score for the student view indicator, which is based on a global survey of students. Munich is now the joint most popular city with students, something which is no doubt partly due to the city’s affordability, ease of getting around, nightlife and friendliness.
Munich also ranks among the best in the world for desirability, which draws on a broad selection of sources designed to assess quality of life.
Most notably, however, Munich has a high score for affordability. This is due to the fact no tuition fees are charged for undergraduate students at public universities in the majority of Germany, regardless of nationality.
Living costs tend to be slightly higher in Munich than Berlin, which may help to explain why Berlin ranks slightly higher than Munich in the affordability indicator. Despite this, the incentive of free tuition combined with the distinctive Bavarian culture combines to make Munich one of the most appealing study destinations in Western Europe.
As for universities in Munich, the city’s highest entrant in the QS World University Rankings® 2020 is Technische Universität München at 55th, followed by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in 63rd place – Germany’s top two representatives in the world rankings this year.
Would you choose Munich over Berlin? Tell us why.
Internationally ranked universities in Munich
Technische Universität München; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
More about Munich
Number of universities ranked by QS
2
Highest-ranked institution
Technische Universität München (55th in the world)
Population
2,606,000
Average international fees (at ranked unis)
US$0
Desirability rank
9th
Employer Activity rank
19th
Affordability rank
38th
Student View rank
1st
To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.
This article was originally published in November 2014 . It was last updated in February 2021
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