QS Greatest Scholar Cities considers the rankings, pupil combine, desirability, employer exercise and affordability of college cities. The 2026 iteration noticed the UK capital’s affordability rating decline, with London slipping to 3rd place, overtaken by the rising cities of Seoul and Tokyo – a shift that underscores Asia’s rising enchantment as a worldwide hub for world-class schooling.
Deputy Prime Minister and minister of schooling of the Republic of Korea, Ju-Ho Lee, described it as an honour as Seoul was named the world’s greatest pupil metropolis.
“This recognition displays the rising world belief in Korea’s increased schooling system and highlights Seoul’s distinctive strengths – a mix of educational excellence, cultural vibrancy, innovation, and security,” he stated.
Three Seoul-based universities – Seoul Nationwide College, Yonsei College, and Korea College – are ranked among the many high 100 within the QS World College Rankings. Over 200,000 worldwide college students are presently learning in Korea, and the nation’s ministry of schooling has signalled its ongoing dedication to supporting college students from across the globe by “serving to them research, develop, and thrive in Korea”.
In the meantime, Tokyo – sustaining its second place spot – leads globally within the employer exercise metric.
As for London, regardless of being residence to 18 top-ranked universities, its affordability challenges considerably impacted its general rating. The town ranked 137th within the affordability class, inserting it behind rivals like Seoul and Tokyo.
Notably, this problem extends past the capital, as all 16 UK cities featured within the rankings have declined on this key metric, with none inserting among the many world’s high 100 for affordability. Scotland’s Aberdeen is presently probably the most reasonably priced UK metropolis, rating 106th on this class.
In distinction, UK cities carried out notably nicely within the Desirability metric. All – besides Leicester, which slipped only one spot – noticed enhancements, with each metropolis now ranked throughout the world high 80. Edinburgh leads at twelfth, adopted by London at sixteenth.
Primarily based on the Economist’s Worth Index, Numbeo’s Value of Dwelling Index, and common tuition charges, London obtained an affordability rating of 12.6 – inserting it decrease than all however one of many high 20 cities within the pupil metropolis rankings. The one metropolis to attain decrease was Boston, ranked joint fifteenth general, with a rating of 7.2.
Commenting on the shift, Liz Hutchinson, govt of London Larger, outlined the “advanced” challenges the town of London is dealing with.
“London provides a world-class expertise for college students throughout an entire vary of measures from pupil voice and employer exercise. It continues to have enormous enchantment for potential college students the world over, by its globally recognised universities, vibrant tradition and various employment alternatives,” she stated.
Nevertheless, she described a “persistent scarcity” of reasonably priced housing affecting college students and the broader neighborhood alike – a part of the broader price of dwelling disaster felt throughout the UK.
“Our members are working with the Better London Authority by their London Plan to develop insurance policies and practices to ease stress on the broader rental market and speed up the supply of genuinely reasonably priced properties for all Londoners together with college students,” continued Hutchinson.
London additionally skilled a decline within the pupil combine indicator, which considers a metropolis’s worldwide pupil inhabitants, range, and inclusivity.
“London’s range and heat welcome to college students from the world over has all the time been an enormous pull issue for candidates. It’s regarding to see a drop on this score,” stated Hutchinson.
This serves as a stark warning concerning the potential penalties of coverage modifications – such because the proposed levy on worldwide college students
Liz Hutchinson, London Larger
“This serves as a stark warning concerning the potential penalties of coverage modifications – such because the proposed levy on worldwide college students – which threat undermining additional nonetheless our standing as a really world, inclusive metropolis.”
Regardless of the drop, Ben Sowter, QS senior vice chairman, maintained: “Merely put, London is among the world’s premier cities for studying.”
“From Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, London has lengthy been a beacon for world changemakers. In the present day, that legacy lives on by college students like Aliza Ayaz, a Pakistani local weather activist who studied at UCL and have become the UK’s first UN Youth Ambassador for Local weather Motion.”
“However London’s brilliance is being dimmed by a deepening affordability disaster… That is now not only a concern – it’s a barrier. With out pressing reform, we threat reworking London right into a metropolis that solely the wealthiest can afford to review in.”
Sowter pointed to analysis from from Unipol and HEPI which laid out the common pupil lease in London – £13,595 – now surpasses the utmost upkeep mortgage – £13,348 – tended to cowl all dwelling prices. Moreover, 14% of pupil rooms in London now price over £20,000 a yr and lease ranges have soared 18% in simply two years.
“Larger schooling in London ought to be outlined by expertise and aspiration, not by postcode or parental earnings. It’s time for policymakers, universities, and the non-public sector to work collectively to make the capital extra accessible for the subsequent era of world leaders,” stated Sowter.
Different notable world insights delivered within the eleventh version of the QS Greatest Scholar Cities embrace Boston (fifteenth) being the only real US metropolis to climb, whereas others confronted challenges in pupil combine and desirability.
In the meantime, all 4 Canadian cities slipped within the rankings however stay throughout the high 100, led by Montreal at 18th.
Australia’s Melbourne and Sydney stay firmly within the high 10, affirming the nation’s place as a premier vacation spot for worldwide college students.
Beijing achieved its highest-ever rating at thirteenth, topping Mainland China’s eight ranked cities. Indian cities all noticed good points, with Mumbai coming into the highest 100 at 98th, supported by robust scores in affordability (eleventh) and employer exercise (thirty seventh).
Germany and Australia are the one nations with two cities within the high 10, with Munich and Berlin each extremely regarded by college students and graduates.
Paris retains seventh place, main Europe within the QS World College Rankings indicator. Madrid broke into the highest 30, whereas Milan and Rome are firmly positioned within the high 50.
Within the Arab area, Amman is the highest-ranked metropolis at sixty fourth, rising 19 locations year-on-year, whereas Cairo leads Africa at 71st. Latin America’s Buenos Aires leads at thirty second, climbing 10 locations, adopted by Santiago in fiftieth.
