Two cities in Belgium have been included in the ranking of best cities for students, drawn up by higher education specialist Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
The 11th edition of the ranking, Best Student Cities 2024 ranking, was published on Thursday. It features a total of 160 cities, up from 140 ranked last year. Among them is the Flemish city of Leuven, ranked 39th with a score of 81.5.
The city's main higher education institution, the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), usually scores the highest or second-highest place among Belgian universities in international rankings, including in the latest list by QS.
Belgium's capital, Brussels, ranked in 50th place, with a score of 76.4. In the university ranking published last month, the VUB in Brussels landed 259th globally – down eight places on the previous year. The French-speaking university ULB ranked 189th (up from 210 last year).
Students in the library of the KU Leuven. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
For the fifth time in a row, England's capital city London has, perhaps surprisingly, been named the "best student city in the world", which may lead some to question the ranking's methodology.
The study assesses cities on six key categories: university rankings, student mix, desirability, employer activity, affordability and student voice. To be included in the ranking, cities must have at least two universities previously featured by the education specialist and a population of 250,000 or more students. With over 50 recognised institutions of higher education, London certainly fits these preliminary criteria.
The researchers praised the city for its "high concentration of world-class universities", its "diverse student population" and its "exceptional career opportunities for graduates." But many might question how the notoriously expensive city scores a perfect 100 when affordability is another key factor in the ranking.
Affordability and employability
When asked about their five most important factors in choosing a country or city to study in, prospective students indicated they looked for a safe and welcoming space for international students, followed by high-quality teaching, a good reputation for studying, a good lifestyle and leisure opportunity, and cost of living.
The top ten is completed by Tokyo (98), Seoul (97.6), Melbourne (97.3), Munich (97.1), Paris (96.3), Sydney (96.2), Berlin (95), Zurich (95) and Boston (92.3).
The leading city in mainland China is Beijing (37th place). Bombay (118th) is the highest-ranked city in India. The top student destination in Latin America is Buenos Aires (34th), while the most popular African city for students is Cape Town (86th). Finally, Dubai (54th) is the highest-ranked city in the Middle East.
