Toronto 
Seoul has claimed the top spot in the QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2026, overtaking London, which held the position for six consecutive years.
London now ranks third, attributed to a dip in its Affordability score. Tokyo places second and leads globally in Employer Activity.
Canada has four cities in the top 100, despite all of them dropping in rank. Montreal remains the country’s highest-ranked city at 18th, with notable scores in Student View (94.4) and Student Mix (91.5). Toronto follows at 22nd, excelling in Employer Activity (85.6) and Desirability (82.4). Vancouver ranks 29th with the highest Desirability among Canadian entries at 84.5. Ottawa, while placing 80th overall, maintains a Student Mix score of 82.3.
All Canadian cities score poorly in Affordability, with Toronto and Vancouver at 17.4 and 16.9 respectively, while Montreal is the most affordable at 30.5.
The US and UK each have 16 cities represented. Boston was the only US city to improve, now 15th. In the UK, Nottingham (49th) and Leeds (51st) saw gains.
Vienna enters the top 10, and several Asian cities make gains—Beijing reaches 13th, its highest position, while Kuala Lumpur (12th), Taipei (14th), and Hong Kong (17th) also advance. Mumbai enters the top 100 at 98th, ranking 11th in Affordability.
Germany and Australia each have two cities in the top 10. Paris remains seventh and leads in university rankings within Europe. Latin America’s highest-ranked city is Buenos Aires at 32nd, followed by Santiago at 50th. Amman climbs to 64th, the highest in the Arab Region.
QS evaluated 150 cities across 58 countries based on university rankings, student mix, desirability, employer activity, and affordability. QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking is one of the three most widely read university rankings in the world.
