toronto top city students

Toronto ranked one of the top cities in the world for students

Regardless of what school you go to, it turns out Toronto is one of the top cities in the world for students. 

The sixth edition of the QS Best Student Cities Ranking, compiled by global consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds, was just released.

It ranked 120 cities worldwide, based on their number of students, the performance of those students, the extent to which employers are actively hiring, how affordable the city is, the city's desirability and quality of life, as well as the diversity of student bodies. 

Students are also surveyed. 

Out of 120 cities, Toronto came in at number 11.

The number-one city in the world for students is London, despite its low affordability score, according to the report. 

The only Canadian city to rank higher than Toronto and come in as part of the top 10 is Montreal.

Surprisingly enough, there are no American cities in the top 10. The highest ranking American city comes in right after Toronto, with Boston sitting at number 12.

In last place on the list, Minsk comes in at number 120.

Here are the top 15 cities in the world for students.

  1. London
  2. Tokyo
  3. Melbourne
  4. Munich
  5. Berlin
  6. Montreal
  7. Paris
  8. Zurich
  9. Sydney
  10. Seoul
  11. Toronto
  12. Boston
  13. Vienna
  14. Hong Kong
  15. Edinburgh

"Although rival Canadian city Montreal remains the country’s highest-ranked city in the QS Best Student Cities, Toronto remains an extremely strong contender," the study states. 

"[Toronto] has one of the highest scores of any city for desirability (one of the six areas assessed), only beaten by Sydney and Tokyo. This reflects both its all-round high quality of life and its status as an in-demand destination amongst students worldwide."

The study also points out that the word most often used by students to sum up the appeal of studying in Toronto is “diversity.”

Lead photo by

Sash DC


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Huge TTC parking lot in Toronto about to close forever ahead of redevelopment

Justin Trudeau pledges to save Toronto's Santa Claus Parade

Closure-plagued Toronto streetcar line is finally back in full force

Olivia Chow is going to war with Doug Ford over controversial new bill

Over 55,000 Canada Post workers now on strike and here's how it'll affect you

Here are some Canadian government jobs based in Ontario that pay very well

University of Toronto named among world's best in another category

Toronto plans to install signs blaming Doug Ford for traffic