London named best city in the world for students

London is the best city in the world for university students, a new study has found.

The fifth edition of the QS Best Student Cities Ranking, released today by analysts Quacquarelli Symonds, sees the English capital claiming the top spot from last year’s winner Montreal, which has fallen to No. 4.

Tokyo comes second, with Melbourne third. The only other UK city in the top 20 is Edinburgh, at No. 16.

The ranking is based on a variety of factors including the number of top universities in the city, the local jobs market, the diversity of the culture, and the quality of life, the BBC reports. Students are also asked to give their views.

Clinching the top spot for the first time, London scored highly on the student survey, which was answered by some 50,000 respondents.

However, the city ranked poorly when it came to affordability, coming in at 113th in the list.

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 accolade comes only a month after many of London’s high-profile universities fared badly in a nationwide ranking of UK universities by class equality, with the London School of Economics, University College London and Imperial College London all making the worst ten.

The best student cities 2018 are:

1. London, UK
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Melbourne, Australia
4. Montreal, Canada
5. Paris, France
6. Munich, Germany
7. Berlin, Germany
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Sydney, Australia
10. Seoul, South Korea