Mumbai, Bengaluru lose top-100 spots in QS Best Student Cities Ranking

Both cities, however, rank high on affordability, a key indicator in the rankings

Mumbai and Bengaluru are out of the global top-100 list and are currently ranking at 106 and 110, respectively in the latest edition of the QS Best Student Cities Ranking.

While Mumbai lost 29 places, Bengaluru fell by 21 places in the ninth edition of the rankings brought out by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

However, among the different metrics as part of the methodology, Mumbai gained 27 places in the 'Affordability' indicator to rank at 21st globally. On the other hand, despite losing three places in the same indicator, Bengaluru was placed seventh globally in the affordability metric.

QS rank cities with a population of at least 250,000 and with at least two universities placing in the QS World University Rankings. The ranking offers a powerful lens into the sentiments of both prospective and former students, with over 95,000 survey responses contributing to the Desirability (prospective students) and Student View (former students) indexes.  As part of its methodology, QS covers metrics like university rankings, student mix, desirability, employer activity, and affordability, among others.

Commenting on the Indian cities in the ranking, Ben Sowter, QS Director of Research, said that the primary concern for the Indian higher education system is to provide access to its ever-growing student population.

"Even though attracting international students is not a major focus, both Mumbai and Bengaluru rank high in the 'Affordability' indicator, an important aspect for many foreign students. Mumbai ranks 52nd globally in the 'Employer Activity' indicator, another key metric. This ranking provides insights to the millions Indian students who wish to pursue an international education," said Sowter.

Globally, the results, which enable students to compare 115 premier educational destinations, see London retain its status as the world’s best student city for the third consecutive edition. It is followed by Munich, which rises from 4th to 2nd. Seoul, which jumps from 10th to joint-3rd, shares the bronze-medal position with Olympic hosts Tokyo.

"Responses to our surveys from students that have actually studied in London make it clear that the city still offers outstanding cultural, economic, and educational opportunities. With two of the world’s ten best universities situated in the city, it remains a world-leading educational hub. However, exponentially-increasing COVID cases and lingering Brexit effects may serve to undermine London’s privileged position," Sowter added.

Among other leading cities globally in the rankings, Boston is the only new entrant into the top ten, rising from 13th to joint-9th, sharing its position with Paris and Montreal.  Germany and Australia are the only locations to have two of the world’s ten best student cities each, whereas Switzerland’s Lausanne enjoys a noteworthy debut in the rankings, placing 19th.

The United States’ 15 ranked cities, on the other hand, are suffering from a systemic decline in the desirability indicator, while Moscow and Beijing break into the top thirty, sharing 25th-position.

Meanwhile, driven by declines in employer activity, five of Australia’s seven ranked cities have fallen even as . all three of Spain’s ranked cities suffer double-digit drops in rank.