The QS Best Student Cities 2027 Ranking: What To Know

Prospective master’s students across the world struggle with the same question: “Where should I study?” Numerous factors determine the quality of student life abroad. While some value employment outcomes, others are looking for affordability. Rankings like the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) QS Best Student Cities help students to compare and analyze study locations based on various factors.

The QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking evaluates the most student-friendly cities worldwide. The ranking takes into account factors such as Employer Activity, Desirability, and Affordability.

For 2027, 150 cities were evaluated. Seoul continues to hold the top spot for a second consecutive year. This confirms South Korea’s continued rise as a growing global education hub. Europe and Asia Pacific continue to ascend the ranking table as popular student destinations. London, after having lost its #1 spot in 2026 after a 6-year streak, has retained its position at #3.

Discover the top ten spots dominating the ranking, the ranking’s methodology, and read our analysis to gain deeper insights into this year’s top student cities.

The Top 10 Student Cities For 2027

The QS Best Student Cities 2027 are:

Top 10 City Country
1.  Seoul South Korea
2. Tokyo Japan
3. London  United Kingdom
4. Melbourne Australia
5. Munich (tied) Germany
5. Sydney (tied) Australia
7. Paris France
8. Berlin Germany
9. Vienna Austria
10. Zurich Switzerland

What Are the QS Rankings & Why Are They Significant?

The QS Best Student Cities ranking is a useful and comprehensive tool for prospective master’s students who are considering where to study for their master’s degree. Rankings like these help to shape decisions about where to study and build a career.

The ranking is published annually. QS has been publishing its rankings since 2004, making it one of the most respected and widely viewed rankings.

The ranking is based on various factors, such as a city’s desirability, including from environmental and safety lenses. It also takes into account a city’s affordability, including tuition fees and living costs. The employment opportunities of that city, among other factors, are also considered. This offers students a holistic view of what each student city has to offer.

Unlike its regional rankings, the Best Student Cities ranking takes a global approach, ranking student cities worldwide against one another.

The Best Student Cities ranking uses a unique methodology. Let’s take a closer look at what that methodology exactly entails.

Breaking It Down: How the Ranking Methodology Works

Before a city can be considered, it needs to meet the eligibility criteria. This includes:

  • Having a population of over 250,000
  • Having a minimum of two universities featured in the latest QS World University Rankings
  • Location marked as ‘insignificant to medium’, based on the International SOS index

The methodology features six categories, including:

  • Desirability – safety, environment, opportunity
  • Affordability – tuition fees, living costs
  • Student Mix – number of students per city, student diversity
  • Employer Activity – recruitment and graduate outcomes (QS’s Employer Survey)
  • University Rankings – collective performance of the universities in the city (QS World University Rankings)
  • Student View – Student experience (QS’s annual International Student Survey)

Each section of the methodology has different indicators. For example, for “Affordability”, indicators include the Big Mac Index score, Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index, and a Tuition Fee Score.

This holistic mix of hard data and lived student experience gives the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking its credibility. It rewards cities that combine academic prestige with genuine livability and student opportunity.

Asia Pacific Is Growing in Popularity

In the 2027 ranking, the top two spots are held by East Asian cities. Namely, Seoul and Tokyo. Seoul had a 100% rating in the “Rankings” portion. This speaks to the city’s academic prestige. On the other hand, Tokyo ranked 94% for “Desirability” and 100% for “Employer Activity”.

Asian cities were heavily represented in the top 20. This includes Singapore at #11, Beijing at #12, Taipei at #14, Kuala Lumpur at #15, Kyoto at #16, and Hong Kong at #17. The rise of Asian cities as major study hubs is a growing trend that we expect to continue in the coming years.

The “Big Four” and North America Are Falling Behind

While the “Big Four” (United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia) used to be the most in-demand study destinations for students, global student mobility trends have shifted in recent years.

On the other hand, Oceania and Europe remain competitive. Australia and Germany both had two cities represented in the top ten. European hubs such as Berlin, Paris, Vienna, and Zurich are ranked in the top ten. European cities continue to attract international students as highly desirable study spots.

Interestingly, not a single North American city was represented in the top ten. Boston and Montreal did manage to make it into the top 20 at #18 and #20, respectively.

The U.S., in particular, has seen a sharp decline in international student enrollment. Stricter immigration laws, visa application policies, and political changes are influencing this decline. However, Europe and Asia are seeing increasing student enrollments as international students pivot to new study locations.

Moreover, Indian and Chinese students used to make up a large portion of the student population coming to the U.S. Now, China is heavily investing in its own universities, and Chinese students are choosing to study at home.

Affordability Matters

London, as one might expect, ranked above 90% for most factors; however, only 14.4% for “Affordability”. This might explain London’s drop after its six-year reign ended in the 2026 edition. Yet it managed to retain its position at #3 this year. 

With housing shortages and a global cost of living crisis, academic prestige is no longer the only factor shaping where students are going. Students are increasingly looking for a strong balance of affordability, academic value, and strong employment opportunities.

Many large cities globally scored poorly in “Affordability”. However, the majority of American cities in the ranking scored under 10%. Boston scored 5.3%, New York scored 6.2%, Los Angeles scored 9.8%, San Francisco scored 6.2%, and Chicago scored 7.6%. 

These diverse factors give students a realistic picture of what living in each city looks like. It also poses important questions about accessibility. Who can afford to study in the top study destinations in the world? 

This factor in the methodology helps students to gauge livability, budget, and real-world costs when considering where to study.

The QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking points to a more competitive and more distributed global international education landscape. 

Ultimately, cities that shine in desirability, student diversity, affordability, and employment outcomes are rising in the rankings. This showcases that high ranking scores and academic prestige alone are no longer enough to attract students to a particular city.

The QS Best Student Cities 2027 results make one thing clear. Student expectations are shifting, and the global competition for top student talent continues to intensify.

Looking for the latest master’s program rankings? Visit our master’s rankings page to explore more. 

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