World's Best Student Cities Revealed in New Ranking

13th February 2012
Europe outshines the US in a new ranking of the world’s best cities for students, released for the first time today by the research specialist behind the annual QS World University Rankings®.

Paris tops the table ahead of London and Boston, with six European cities in the top ten. Singapore (12th) is the leading Asian city ahead of Hong Kong (19=) and Tokyo (19=), while Australia is the only country with two cities in the top ten.

Based on 12 criteria, QS Best Student Cities 2012 takes into account the quality and number of internationally ranked universities, alongside factors such as affordability, quality of living * and the reputation of local universities among employers.

Europe triumphs on quality of living and affordability, with tuition fees in top-ten cities Paris, Vienna, Zurich and Berlin averaging under US$1,000 per year, compared to $30,000 in the US. Twenty European cities make the top 50 compared to 9 each from the US and Asia.

London claims the top score for the quality of its leading universities, but Paris has a greater number of internationally ranked institutions alongside superior all-round scores.

QS Best Student Cities 2012

QS Quacquarelli Symonds www.topuniversities.com

Édouard Husson, Vice-Chancellor of Paris universities: “This research recognises the world-class study experience provided by Paris. We have more globally ranked universities than any other city, alongside low tuition fees. Moreover, Paris has four "universities of excellence" as a result of the IDEX competition."

London Mayor Boris Johnson: “I’m delighted to learn that London has once again been confirmed as one of the best places on earth to be a student. With the Olympic Games just around the corner, London is undergoing an enormous transformation. We’ve got twice as many book shops as New York, and more museums than Paris. And by the way, our museums are free”.

QS Managing Director Nunzio Quacquarelli: “Going to university is about more than just selecting the most prestigious institution. When a broad range of factors are taken into account, cities in continental Europe, Australia and Asia offer distinct advantages for students”.
*Based on Mercer Quality of Living index

Top 50 on www.topuniversities.com

Media contact: Vickie Chiu, vickie.chiu@qs.com, +44 (0) 207 284 7292
: Simona Bizzozero, simona@qs.com, +44(0) 7880 620 856

*Notes:

Rankings

This category is intended to take a read of the collective performance of a city’s universities in the QS World University Rankings®. The indicators have been designed to take into account the magnetism of the large numbers universities found in large cities as well as lending recognition to the locations of the world’s elite institutions. All indicators in this category carry equal weight.

Institution Count

A score based on a straight count of the number of ranked institutions in the city

Indexed Score
This indicator takes into account the collective performance of all institutions in the city, points are awarded for each institution depending on what range they fall into

Student mix

This category is designed to look at the student make-up of the city, both overall and from an international perspective. Cities with higher proportions of students are likely to be better equipped with the facilities students need. Cities with high numbers of international students are more likely to have the facilities to welcome more.

Affordability

Tuition Fees

Usually the most substantial outlay for a student, particularly for an international student, global trends suggest that tuition fees are likely to play an increasing role in shaping international student mobility trends over the next ten years. The average tuition fee of a city’s institutions carries twice the weight of the other two affordability indicators

Big Mac Index

A score based on the well-known index of retail pricing in cities worldwide, compiled and published by the Economist Intelligence Unit

Mercer cost of living index

A score based on the results of the Mercer Cost of Living Index 2011 http://www.mercer.com/costoflivingpr

Quality of living

A score based on the results of the Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2011 - www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#city-rankings. Since Mercer only lists 50 world cities, those not listed are automatically assigned a minimum of half the available points in lieu of further data which has been requested

Employer reputation
Domestic Employer Popularity

A score based on the number of domestic employers who identified at least one institution in the city as producing excellent graduates

International Employer Popularity [x 2]

A score based on the weighted count of international employers who identified at least one institution in the city as producing excellent graduates. Since all our work is focused on international students and opportunities for mobility, this indicator carries twice the weight of the domestic alternative.

ENDS

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