LONDON, May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

London is the world's best student city for the first time, it has emerged. The fifth edition of the QS Best Student Cities Ranking, released today by analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds, sees London replace Canada's Montreal as the world-leader.

London rises to first primarily as a result of increasingly positive responses to QS's student survey, which asks students about the quality of experience in a city, and their willingness to remain there after graduating. It rises ten places to 13^th in QS's Student View indicator.

Key Observations: 

• Tokyo reaches 2^nd, its highest-ever position;
• Melbourne rises from 5^th to 3^rd;
• No US city achieves a top-10 rank;
• US cities see declines in their ranks for Affordability, Employer Activity, and Student Mix;
• Zurich (8^th) enters the top ten, rising five places;
• Germany and Australia both achieve two top-ten ranks;
• Latin America's best student city is Buenos Aires, which rises from 42^nd to 25^th;
• In total, QS rank the world's top 100 cities.

Methodology 

QS use six indicator groups to compile the ranking, each analysing a different aspect of concern to prospective students.

1. Rankings;
2. Student Mix;
3. Desirability;
4. Employer Activity;
5. Affordability;
6. Student View.

                           QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2018: Top 10

                                                            EMPLOYER                STUDENT
    RANK   RANK            RANKINGS   STUDENT DESIRABILITY  ACTIVITY AFFORDABILITY     VIEW
    2018   2017        CITY    RANK  MIX RANK         RANK      RANK          RANK     RANK
       1      3      London      1          7          18          2           113       13
       2      7       Tokyo      4         72           2          1            51       17
       3      5   Melbourne     11          1           8         10           102        3
       4      1    Montreal     25          5          10         20            69        1
       5      2       Paris      2         24          20          7            92       27
       6      9      Munich     27         40          10         23            36        2
       7      6      Berlin     40         39          12         18            29        8
       8     15      Zurich     20         18           5          6            80       32
       9     13      Sydney     19          2           4         13           114       14
      10      4       Seoul      3         57          38          4            76       23

(c) QS Quacquarelli Symonds 2004-2018 http://www.TopUniversities.com/.

Ben Sowter, Research Director at QS, said: "The 2018 ranking highlights the enduring quality of the student experience available in London. The city benefits from outstanding employment prospects, more world-class universities than any other city, and enviable lifestyle opportunities. These factors mean that the capital remains a great place to study despite eye-watering costs - as more than 50,000 student respondents to QS's survey have made clear."

Full rankings: https://www.topuniversities.com/best-student-cities.

SOURCE QS Quacquarelli Symonds