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.
Top 10 Cities for Students in 2015Based on the QS Best Student Cities 2015 | ||||||
| Overall rank | University rankings (score out of 100) | Student mix | Desirability | Employer activity (score out of 100) | Affordability |
1 | 96 | 83 | 83 | 96 | 54 | |
2 | 69 | 100 | 94 | 94 | 40 | |
3 | 100 | 93 | 71 | 100 | 28 | |
4 | 65 | 95 | 98 | 94 | 36 | |
5 | 74 | 80 | 88 | 82 | 63 | |
6 | 77 | 87 | 73 | 100 | 49 | |
7 | 79 | 55 | 95 | 94 | 62 | |
8 | 63 | 96 | 83 | 78 | 60 | |
9 | 61 | 90 | 100 | 73 | 51 | |
10 | 87 | 71 | 66 | 94 | 54 | |
To be the first to get the new results on 1 December, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and join the conversation with #QSBestCities.
