On July 15, 2025, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education analytics firm, released the latest edition of QS Best Student Cities 2026. As per the latest rankings, Seoul (South Korea) has topped the rankings for the first time with an overall score of 100, Mumbai (Maharashtra) has been ranked 98 in the list.
- Tokyo (Japan) has secured the second place, London (United Kingdom, UK) has dropped to third place from being ranked first for 6 consecutive times due to low affordability, ranking 137th globally with a score of 12.6 in the affordability category.
About the report:
i.The 2026 edition evaluates 160 cities around the world to determine the quality of experience offered to the students.
ii.The report assists the international and domestic students to choose cities that offer quality education, strong career prospects, affordability, a supportive student environment, and a high quality of life.
iii.The cities are ranked based on six key indicators, University Rankings, Student Mix, Desirability, Employer Activity, Affordability, Student View.
Top 5 Global Cities:
| Rank | City | Country | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seoul | South Korea | 100 |
| 2 | Tokyo | Japan | 99.9 |
| 3 | London | United Kingdom (UK) | 97.1 |
| 4 | Munich | Germany | 96.3 |
| 5 | Melbourne | Australia | 95.7 |
Indian Cities featured in the list:
| Rank | City | State | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98 | Mumbai | Maharashtra | 61.6 |
| 104 | New Delhi | Delhi | 60.5 |
| 108 | Bangalore | Karnataka | 59.6 |
| 128 | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | 54.1 |
Key Highlights:
i.Other top 10 cities are: Sydney (Australia) (6th), Berlin (Germany) and Paris (France) sharing the 7th position, Zurich (Switzerland) (9th), and Vienna (Austria) (10th).
ii.Four Indian cities, featured in the list have shown significant improvement. Mumbai has re-entered top 100 after climbing 15 spots, being ranked among top 50 in affordability and employer activity.
- Bengaluru climbed 22 spots, Delhi also climbed seven places and Chennai has jumped 12 spots globally.
iii.Delhi, ranked first globally in the affordability category with a score of 96.5. Indian cities, Bengaluru (84.3), Chennai (80.1) are ranked among the top 20 globally for their affordability.
- The affordability indicator is evaluated by taking the average tuition fees and cost of living into account.
iv.Mumbai (77), Bengaluru (67.4) and Delhi (78.4) feature in the top 60 globally in the employer activity category.
About Quacquarelli Symonds (QS):
President – Nunzio Quacquarelli
Headquarters – London, United Kingdom (UK)
Established – 1990
