Munich and Berlin ranked among top 10 student cities in the world

A new ranking by QS has named Munich and Berlin among the top 10 best student cities in the world, but both cities performed poorly when it came to affordability.

QS Best Student Cities 2026

Every year, QS compiles a list of the best cities around the world to study in to create the Best Student Cities Ranking. To be considered for the ranking, a city needs to have a population over 250.000 and have at least two universities that have featured in QS World University Rankings. 

Each of the 150 cities is assessed on six key metrics, each with its own weighting, to calculate an overall score out of 100:

• University rankings
• Student mix
• Desirability
• Employer activity
• Affordability
• Student view

Seoul has been named the best student city in the world in this year’s ranking, nabbing the number one spot from London, which is now in third place, scoring just 12,6 for affordability. Tokyo ranked second this year, which means that two of the top student cities are now in Asia.

Munich named fourth-best student city in the world

Home to Ludwig Maximilians University and TUM, Munich was the highest performing German city and ranked fourth overall. According to the ranking, students view Munich particularly positively as a place to live and study; there is both a good mix of students and a number of prospective employers in the city. Affordability was the shortcoming of studying in the capital of Bavaria.

While Germany’s affordable housing shortage can be felt by many across the country, Munich is one of the worst-affected cities, and students are one of the worst-affected groups. According to a study conducted by the Moses Mendelssohn Institute (MMI) in partnership with WG-Gesucht, the average asking rent for a room in a shared house in Munich sits at 800 euros per month in 2025. 

Tied with Paris, Berlin came in seventh place. The German capital scored a whopping 100 in the student view category, 85,5 for employer activity and 84,2 for desirability. Like Munich, the city performed worst in the affordability category, with a score of 53,7.

According to figures from the German Institute for Economic Research (IW), average rents in Berlin, which were already high, rose by 8,5 percent in 2024. This was the highest average rise recorded in the country. In 2025, students in Berlin can expect to pay an average of 650 euros per month for a room in a shared flat. Finding one is also difficult, with many students moving between sublets for months or even years before getting a more permanent home.

While Munich and Berlin performed particularly well, they were the only German cities to make it into the top 100 spots in the ranking. Stuttgart managed to squeeze in 119th place, ranking average in all categories but scoring 80 for desirability. 

QS's best cities for students in 2026

In all, here are the 10 best student cities in the world, according to QS:

• 1. Seoul
• 2. Tokyo
• 3. London
• 4. Munich
• 5. Melbourne
• 6. Sydney
• =7. Berlin
• =7. Paris
• 9. Zurich
• 10. Vienna

For more information and to see the full ranking, visit the QS website.