All four Indian metropolises featured in the 2026 QS Best Student Cities ranking have improved their positions. Mumbai has re-entered the global top 100 to secure the 98th position. Delhi has climbed to 104th position, Bengaluru secured 108th position and Chennai was ranked at 128th.
On the affordability metric, Mumbai and Bengaluru were placed within the top 15.
In the Employer Activity category, Delhi and Mumbai entered the global top 50 club. Bengaluru secured the 59th rank and while Chennai climbed 29 spots vis-a-vis last year’s ranking.
“India’s rising presence in the 2026 QS Best Student Cities Rankings is more than a statistical bump — it reflects a structural shift in the country’s higher education landscape. As we approach the fifth anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, its focus on global engagement, quality enhancement, and student-centric learning is starting to bear fruit on the international stage,” said Jessica Turner, CEO of QS.
The ranking is compiled by global higher education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds after assessing 150 cities worldwide. This year Seoul overtook London to be named the world’s best student city.
London, which held the number-one position for six consecutive years, fell to third place, largely due to a significant drop in the ‘Affordability’ indicator, where it slipped 11 places to rank 137th globally.
Top 15 cities in QS Best Student Cities 2026
- Seoul, South Korea
- Tokyo, Japan
- London, United Kingdom
- Munich, Germany
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sydney, Australia
- Berlin, Germany
- Paris, France
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Vienna, Austria
- Singapore
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Beijing, China (Mainland)
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Boston, United States
QS ranks cities with a population of at least 2,50,000 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 1,00,000 survey responses contributing to the ‘Desirability’ (prospective students) and ‘Student Voice’ (former students) indices. Each category carries equal weight.
