New York, the concrete jungle where dreams are made of; London, where you’ve got high tea, stories from uni, and the West End; and Paris, where you’re lying if you don’t hum “Le Festin” from Pixar’s “Ratatouille” at least once during your time there.
These cities deserve their title as some of the best student cities in the world.
But they are by no means the only ones. The best student cities can be found across the world — and increasingly in Asia Pacific
But how does a city get designated as a student city in the first place?
All cities can be student cities, but not all of them can be decent at it. Source: AFP
How the best student cities are decided: A look at the QS methodology
One of the most common student city rankings is the annual QS Best Student Cities list.
To be considered in the list, 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 ranks are determined by a diverse range of indicators grouped into six key categories:
University rankings
Simply put, this category looks at the collective performance of the universities found within the city.
Two questions can help you better understand this, which are “How many universities does the city have which are in the QS World University Rankings?” and “How well do those universities perform in the latest rankings?”
Student mix
Naturally, student cities will need to have a decently sized student population. In a way, cities with a higher proportion of students are more likely to be better equipped with the facilities you need, while places with high numbers of international students are more likely to be well-prepared to welcome even more to their ranks.
Some questions that can help you better understand this category are: “What proportion of the city’s population are students?” and “How many international students are enrolled in the city?”
Another important question to consider here is “how inclusive is the city and the country it’s located in?” In QS, this question looks at the Social Progress Index, which tracks indicators by country on a variety of aspects, including tolerance and inclusion.
Desirability
This category is a little more subjective, but for good reason. After all, where do you even begin to calculate a city’s “desirability”? For QS, this involves looking at six factors:
- The Economist Livability Index, which quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in 173 cities worldwide.
- Globalisation and World Cities (GaWC) Index compiled at the University of Loughborough, which explores how cities interact, cooperate, and compete in a global context.
- Numbeo’s safety index, which gets its data from the personal safety indicator of the Social Progress Index (country level), and The Economist’s Safe Cities Index.
- Numbeo’s pollution index
- Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, which spotlights the presence of corruption in the public sector, of which higher education is typically a part, by country.
- Student desirability based on QS’s student survey, where participants are asked to identify their “dream student city.”
The best student cities take employer activity in the country into account too, so you don’t have to worry too much about your plans after graduating. Source: AFP
Employer activity
Post-graduation outcomes are a pretty important factor when we’re talking about choosing your university, and where your school is located can play a part in that too. This category helps indicate the cities that are the most highly sought-after as recruiting grounds among graduate employers.
Two of the indicators considered are based on QS’s annual survey of employers worldwide, which asks recruiters to identify the institutions they believe to be producing the best graduates in their sector.
Within this indicator is also the “Youth Employment Bonus,” a bonus or penalty applied to the city based on World Bank figures for youth employment in the given country. The top and bottom quartiles receive a 5% boost or handicap, while the top and bottom 5% of countries for youth employment receive a 10% adjustment.
Affordability
It’s hard to be called one of the best student cities if students can’t afford to study there. That’s why the affordability indicator considers the tuition fees and general living expenses required to study and live there.
On top of that, QS also looks at the Big Mac Index and the Mercer Cost of Living Rankings to give you a more complete picture of a city’s affordability.
Student view
Last but not least, the student view category comes from the data QS receives through it annual student survey.
Within the survey, students share their personal and genuine experiences (which may differ from the Desirability category), giving ratings of the city in eight categories: tolerance and inclusion, diversity, friendliness, ease of getting around, affordability, nightlife, employment opportunities, arts and culture, and sustainability.
Another factor considered in this category is the proportion of students who want to continue to live in the city after graduation. The idea is that the more who want to stay, the better they deem their future there to be.
The final scores
At the end, all the categories and their indicators are converted into scores, and a final ranking is made based on an overall score out of 100.
7 best student cities in the Asia Pacific region, in reverse order
Hong Kong might not come to mind immediately when you think of student cities, but there’s more than meets the eye here. Source: AFP
7. Hong Kong
Overall score: 86
The running joke might be that Hong Kongers are rude, but given that most of its universities have a high international student body (74% of the City University of Hong Kong’s students come from abroad, according to QS), they’re still charming enough to draw scores of students here.
They score the highest on their Student View (82.7), and Franz Richard Hohmann is a big advocate for studying in Hong Kong. Hailing from Germany, where life takes on a slower pace, the fast-paced and high-pressure environment for him felt like a breath of fresh air.
“Being in Hong Kong, just seeing that everyone has the same mindset and drive, was like, wow. I didn’t know a place like this existed,” says Hohmann. “It’s a completely different world because people there are highly energetic, young, and ambitious. They’re really smart, very well educated, and everyone is thriving towards something. Everyone has a goal, and you can feel this understanding that everything is possible as long as you work hard for it.”
Your post-graduation career prospects are great too. In 2023, the University of Hong Kong boasted a whopping 98.8% employment rate. In the same year, the Chinese University of Hong Kong reported that about 90% of the respondents to its annual Graduate Employment Survey were given their first job offers by the end of September in the year they graduated from their first degrees.
Imagine departing and landing at one of the world’s best airports every time you have to study in Singapore. Source: AFP
6. Singapore
Overall score: 89.6
Famed for having Asia’s best-ranked university (the National University of Singapore ranks #8 in the QS World University Rankings 2025), there’s more to Singapore than just the academic excellence of its higher education institutions.
The Lion City is among the best student cities in the Asia Pacific for many reasons. On QS, its Student View score is at a high 93.8, and April Yunju Kim’s story is a testament to that.
Kim, a Korean consecutive interpreter, pursued her Bachelor’s in Business Management at the Singapore Management University (SMU). There, a chance participation in the university’s co-curricular activity, which offered courses on becoming an emcee, led her to her work today: working with the biggest K-pop stars of the industry, like IU, Girl’s Generation’s Yoona and Taeyeon, Babymonster, Astro’s Cha Eun-Woo, EXO’s Sehun, Chanyeol, and D.O, and Seventeen.
Now isn’t that an impressive success story?
And if you’re not one for interpreting for celebrities, Singapore’s got more to offer. With the #1 economy in Southeast Asia, and the #4 among the 51 high-income group economies, being a student here means getting first-hand access to some of the region’s most successful companies.
The best student cities aren’t just all about hustle and bustle — there’s time to slow down to take a breather too. Source: AFP
5. Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe, Japan
Overall score: 90.6
This might be a little strange to group three huge Japanese cities together to form number five on our best student cities list, but together, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe are also known as the “Keihanshin,” a metropolitan area in Japan’s Kansai region.
Here, you’ll find eight universities featured on the QS World University Rankings 2025. Kyoto University ranks the highest, at #50, followed by Osaka University at #86. The cities stand out with their scores in Student View (87.3), Employer Activity (87.2), and Desirability (85.2) as well.
“I find the environment [in Osaka] very friendly overall! I mostly hang out with Japanese students studying foreign languages, so their outlook is generally more open-minded and international, but people in Osaka are overall the friendliest I’ve met in Japan thus far,” shares one Redditor.
And if you’re concerned about getting work here as a foreigner, you’ll just have to put your talents on the table. As this Redditor says, “The more unique your talents are, and the better your Japanese is, the better the chance of work.”
Perhaps one of the best parts about studying in Sydney is having easy access to the beach. Source: AFP
4. Sydney, Australia
Overall score: 95.4
With its iconic landmarks and sun-soaked beaches, the cherry on top of this particular student city is the five highly ranked universities – the University of Sydney at #18, the University of New South Wales at #19, University of Technology, Sydney at #88, Macquarie University at #133, and Western Sydney University at #384.
Plus, Sydney’s best categories on the QS Best Student Cities list are its Student Mix (98), Student View (96.2), and Desirability (96). Since Australia is primarily an English-speaking country, you’re less likely to deal with language or big cultural barriers here too.
The general consensus that makes Sydney a standout compared to Melbourne (which, spoiler alert, is #3 on this list) is its better transport system, less temperate weather, and better job opportunities in corporate organisations, as most are headquartered in Sydney.
But hold your horses, because…
The vibrancy of Melbourne easily makes it one of the best student cities in the world. Source: AFP
3. Melbourne, Australia
Overall score: 97.1
You can’t talk about the best student cities without mentioning Australia’s best; Melbourne, dubbed as UNESCO’s “City of Literature,” scores 100 for Student Mix and 98.5 for Student View.
Seven of the city’s universities feature on the QS World University Rankings 2025, and six are in the top 300. More impressively, the University of Melbourne ranks #13 and Monash University ranks #37. Monash also boasts one of the largest international student bodies amongst Australia’s universities, with over 28,000 reported in its latest data.
“I love the fact that Melbourne is such a multicultural city,” says Hani Nadhirah Azman, a Malaysian who pursued her master’s degree in marketing communications at the University of Melbourne. “For most international students, it makes them feel as if they are home away from home. I would never trade my experience here for anything in the world.”
2. Seoul, South Korea
Overall score: 97.8
The third-best student city in the world and Asia Pacific’s second-best is none other than Seoul. The city’s best scoring category was its Rankings – a perfect 100, a very clear indication that the 20+ universities in this bustling capital are not to be looked down upon.
Unsurprisingly, the country’s “SKY” universities hold the top spots on the QS World University Rankings 2025, all landing within the top 100 – Seoul National University (SNU) at #31, Yonsei University at #56, and Korea University at #67.
But regardless of where you end up, life as a student is nothing short of exciting. Think on-campus festivals featuring the biggest K-pop stars, a vibrant and welcoming community, and perhaps the mandatory struggle that all non-Korean speakers go through while learning in a new environment.
This Redditor puts it simply: “[University life is] truly one of the happiest times for many Koreans and a fantastic experience for exchange students. With the right attitude — just being open — you’re sure to create memories that last a lifetime.”
Of all the student cities out there, Tokyo tops the list with its maximum scores in Employer Activity and Desirability. Source: AFP
1. Tokyo, Japan
Overall score: 99.2
Tokyo holds the crown for being the best student city in the Asia Pacific region, ranked only second behind London, the number one on the list. Most notably, it scored 100 for the Employer Activity and Desirability categories, proof that not only do people want to be there, but there are great career opportunities to seize too.
The city has 18 higher education institutions featured on the QS World University Rankings 2025, and two within the top 100 – the University of Tokyo at #32 and Tokyo Institute of Technology at #84.
“My experience in Japan as an international student was so beautiful, and talking about it almost makes me want to cry,” says Levi Pells in an interview with Study International. Pells, who hails from the US, had studied at Sophia University in Tokyo. “You could see the cherry blossoms everywhere on the first day of school. And ever since then, the country was magical to me.”
