QS Best Student Cities ranking: 84th
The second-largest city in the state of Queensland (and the sixth-largest in Australia), Gold Coast boasts 52km of golden sands and 300 sunny days per year, and even has a suburb named ‘Surfer’s Paradise’. Indeed, surfers and general beach-fans will feel right at home here, and it’s unsurprising that Gold Coast is ranked in the top 50 cities for desirability in the 2019 edition of the QS Best Student Cities ranking.
Gold Coast is one of Australia’s fastest-growing large cities, and has expanded rapidly in recent decades largely thanks to the effect of the area’s flourishing tourism sector. The city annually hosts the Gold Coast 600 car racing event and also hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Away from all the skyscrapers, the surrounding rural hinterland, referred to as the “green behind the gold”, is a lush, subtropical rainforest of three national parks, with numerous mountains, natural rock formations and spectacular waterfalls.
Among the top universities in Gold Coast is Griffith University, ranked joint 320th in the world. Gold Coast receives its highest score in the student mix indicator in the QS Best Student Cities ranking, thanks to a high percentage (19 percent) of international students at its leading universities.
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Internationally ranked universities in Gold Coast
Griffith University; Bond University; Southern Cross University |
More about Gold Coast
Number of universities ranked by QS |
3 |
Highest-ranked institution |
Griffith University (Joint 320th) |
Population |
638,000 |
Average international fees (at ranked unis) |
US$20,600 |
Desirability rank |
48th |
Employer Activity rank |
120th |
Affordability rank |
89th |
Student View rank |
104th |
To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.