30 best cities for international students in 2027

Europe accounts for more than half of the top 10 best cities for students, but two Asian cities lead the list.

The QS organization announced its list of the world's best cities for university students in 2027 on 21/7.

Seoul secured the number one spot for the second consecutive year. The South Korean capital earned its top ranking by excelling in world university rankings and boasting a high employment index. Tokyo followed in second place, achieving a perfect 100/100 score for its employment index and ranking fourth in attractiveness.

Several cities in the Asia-Pacific region climbed the rankings. Beijing notably improved, rising 19 places. Other cities like Melbourne, Sydney, Taipei (China), Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur also saw gains, moving up between one and 11 spots.

Europe maintained a strong presence at the top, with six cities in the top 10, led by London at third place. However, several European cities experienced significant drops in their rankings.

The United States placed only two cities in the top 30, with Boston as its highest entry. While North American cities boast strong university reputations and job prospects, high living costs pose a significant barrier. This issue is common across many cities in the "big four" international education destinations: the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Here is the list of the 30 best cities in the world for university study in 2027:

No.	City	Country	Score (out of 100)
1	Seoul	South Korea	100
2	Tokyo	Japan	98
3	London	UK	97.3
4	Melbourne	Australia	94.8
5	Munich	Germany	94.1
5	Sydney	Australia	94.1
7	Paris	France	92.5
8	Berlin	Germany	91.8
9	Vienna	Austria	90.9
10	Zurich	Switzerland	90.6
11	Singapore	Singapore	90.2
12	Beijing	China	89.2
13	Edinburgh	UK	89.1
14	Taipei	China	88.4
15	Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	88
16	Kyoto	Japan	87.9
17	Hong Kong	China	87.7
18	Boston	US	87.6
19	Amsterdam	Netherlands	86.8
20	Montreal	Canada	86.2
21	Shanghai	China	85.9
22	Toronto	Canada	85.8
23	Lausanne	Switzerland	84.7
23	New York	US	84.7
25	Stockholm	Sweden	84.6
26	Auckland	New Zealand	84.2
27	Prague	Czech Republic	84
28	Copenhagen	Denmark	83.4
29	Madrid	Spain	83.2
30	Brisbane	Australia	83.1

This year's ranking included 150 cities. To qualify, each location needed a population exceeding 250,000 and at least two universities featured in QS's most recent world rankings.

The ranking criteria are based on six main indicators: university rankings, student mix, desirability, employer activity, affordability, and student feedback.