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The QS Best Student Cities ranking showcases the best urban destinations for international students, based on a diverse range of indicators grouped into six key categories.
To be considered for inclusion, each city must have a population of over 250,000, and be home to at least two universities featured in the most recent QS World University Rankings®. For population metrics, the metropolitan area is used where possible.
The six key categories are:
University rankings
Student mix
Desirability
Employer activity
Affordability
Student view
Indicators
As an example, here are some of the indicators used within each category.
University rankings
How many universities does the city have which are in the QS World University Rankings?
How well do those universities perform in the latest rankings?
Student mix
What proportion of the city's population are students?
How many international students are enrolled in the city?
How inclusive is the city and the country it's located in?
Desirability
How safe is the city?
What are the pollution levels like in the city?
How many respondents to our student survey wanted to study in the city?
Employer activity
What is youth employment like in the city?
What do employers think of the graduates produced by universities in the city?
Affordability
How much does tuition cost at the city's universities?
What is the cost of living for students in the city?
Student view
What ratings did students give the city's friendliness, sustainability, diversity and more?
What proportion of students continue to live in the city after graduation?
As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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QS Best Student Cities methodology
Craig OCallaghan
Updated Jun 18, 2024Save
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The QS Best Student Cities ranking showcases the best urban destinations for international students, based on a diverse range of indicators grouped into six key categories.
To be considered for inclusion, each city must have a population of over 250,000, and be home to at least two universities featured in the most recent QS World University Rankings®. For population metrics, the metropolitan area is used where possible.
The six key categories are:
Indicators
As an example, here are some of the indicators used within each category.
University rankings
Student mix
Desirability
Employer activity
Affordability
Student view
Learn more about these indicators and how they are measured.
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As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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