Shropshire Star

London ranked best city in world for university students

The city beat last year’s winner Montreal to the top spot.

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London has been named the top city in the world for university students (Chris Ison/PA)

London is the best city in the world for university students, according to new international rankings.

The UK capital overtook last year’s top-placed city Montreal to rank as number one in the QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2018.

The study, conducted by analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds, builds the rankings based on a range of factors, including affordability, desirability and the view of students.

Clinching the top spot for the first time, London scored highly on the student survey, which asked 50,000 students about the quality of their experience in their city, and their willingness to remain there after graduating.

It ranked well in the likelihood of students getting a job in the city at the end of their degrees, as well as being an international city with high levels of tolerance and diversity.

A high concentration of world-class universities such as University College London and Imperial College London also play a part in making the city attractive to students.

However, the capital measured poorly when it came to affordability, coming in at 113th in the rankings.

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.”

The Canadian city of Montreal slid down to fourth in the rankings, behind Tokyo in second and Melbourne in third.

Australia also saw Sydney climb to ninth place, while the United States failed to see any of its cities make the top 10.

Paris, this year ranked fifth, topped the table in 2016.

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