Planning to go to university? Here are the world’s best cities to get that degree:

This ranking is according to the 2018 edition Quacquarelli Symonds’ (QS) “Best Student Cities.” QS uses six factors as a basis for these annual rankings,

Affordability

Employer Activity

Desirability

Student Mix

QS World University Rankings

Student Views

Let’s see which cities topped each category.

Affordability

More than the tuition, the retail prices and the cost of living affect the viability of living in a particular city to study. In this domain, the universities of Budapest in Hungary reign supreme. This is followed by Kuala Lumpur at second and Riyadh at third when it comes to affordability.

Employer Activity

The challenge of students does not stop after graduation. Domestic and International employers recognizing a university as a producer of excellent graduates is a definite plus. In this area, the city of Tokyo in Japan is the place to be, with its universities recognized as some of the best producers of quality graduates. Tokyo is followed by London and Boston when it comes to top scores for employer activity.

Desirability

Of course, the liveability of cities is also a huge consideration when it comes to a students’ choice of university. Is it safe? Is it clean or polluted? Is corruption present in the government?

Taking these factors in conjunction with student responses over the globe, the most desirable universities for the year 2018 are revealed to be located in the city of Toronto in Canada. Tokyo also scores high in desirability with a ranking at the second spot followed by Sydney and Amsterdam.

Student Mix

A high student population is correlated with a university being better equipped in terms of facilities. On the other hand, a high number of international students in the mix entail that a university is prepared to accommodate even more. If you’re going international, Melbourne in Australia has some of the best universities to welcome you. This is followed by Sydney, also in Australia, and Auckland.

QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings reveal the most elite institutions over the globe. If you’re looking for that prestige, then London in the United Kingdom is your best shot. This city houses some of the highest ranking universities in the annual lists of QS. At the second place is Paris and Seoul followed by Tokyo.

Student Views

Been there, done that. The perceptions of other students are of course valuable metrics on how good is the experience is living in a particular city while studying. In this realm, Montreal in Canada was declared by the students to give you the best experience with Munich at 2nd place and Melbourne at 3rd.