London ranked third best student city in the world

London has been placed third in the recent QS rankings of the best student cities in the world, having risen two places since last year. Montreal and Paris have the top two spots, with Seoul and Melbourne at fourth and fifth.

The QS Best Student Cities rankings showcase the best cities for international students. Cities must have a population of over 250,000 as well as two universities featured in the current year’s QS World Rankings in order to be included.

Overall, all eight of the UK’s ranked cities have risen in the rankings this year, including Edinburgh at 18^th and Manchester at 23^rd. This suggests that Brexit may not have the detrimental effect on international student movement that many feared.

The rankings are based on Affordability, Desirability, Employer Activity, Rankings, Student Mix and Student View, the last of which is new for this year. While London is the city students said they would most like to study in, they were less positive about their actual experience in the city and whether they intended to stay in London after graduation. However, London remains one of the world’s most diverse cities, ranking tenth for Student Mix. 

London still has a very low affordability score with only New York being more expensive. However, London has seen a fifteen-rank increase since last year.

While London has dropped eight ranks for Desirability, the city also placed third for Employer Activity with employers still considering London as a prime location for recruiting students from top universities.

Check out the rankings here.