London ranked as best student city in the world for sixth consecutive year in new ranking

QS has ranked London as the top student city in the world for 2025.

The education analyst ranked cities on the rankings of their unis, the mix of students, desirability, employer activity, affordability, and the views of students.

This year, London beat Tokyo, Seoul, Munich, and Melbourne and has topped the rankings since 2018.

UCL and ICL both feature in the top 10 world universities and London is only beaten by Seoul in the World Universities Ranking indicator.

This comes after Imperial College London beat both Oxford and Cambridge Universities for the first time ever in the new world ranking for 2025.

According to QS, the “excellent feedback from current and former students”, as well as the “diverse and eclectic student population”, came together to place London at the top.

The “exceptional career opportunities” due to the city’s status as a major hub for business and finance was also given as a reason for London’s success in the rankings.

Commenting on the rankings, the CEO of London Higher, which represents institutions across the capital, said: “For London to retain the title of world’s best student city for six uninterrupted editions shows just how the UK capital and its world leading universities keep on delivering an exceptional experience for students from across the globe.”

London Higher has recently launched the Study London campaign which aims to attract more students to study in and “restore confidence in London as a safe and welcoming city and show the true cultural diversity and inclusivity of the capital.”

On the changing UK Visa regulations, Jessica Turner, CEO of QS explained to The Pie how a changing influx of international students will affect London’s position. She said: “At QS we are concerned about how long this success will last given the tighter visa regulations for international students introduced since January.

“These changes have led to a significant decline in student applications. Over 50 UK universities have already confirmed staff redundancies due to the drop in international student numbers and the declining real-terms value of domestic tuition fees, and this troubling trend continues to affect more institutions.

“It is imperative for our country to maintain its appeal to international students, which is crucial not only for the vitality and financial resilience of our higher education institutions but also for the enrichment of our society as a whole.”

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Featured image via @_robbiemunro