Zurich named among the top 10 student cities in the world

The latest QS ranking for 2026 has placed Zurich as the ninth-best student city in the world. The city was praised for its high standard of living, but ranked poorly for affordability.

QS Best Student Cities 2026

Every year, QS compiles a list of the best cities around the world to study in and compiles them in 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. Tokyo ranked second this year, which means that two of the top student cities are now in Asia. 

Zurich ranked ninth-best student city in the world

Home to ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), the city ranked ninth with a score of 91,5. ETH Zurich also performed well in the QS World Rankings 2026: top global universities, ranking seventh for a third year in a row.

The city of Zurich deserves its ranking, according to QS, which says it is known for “its prosperity, orderliness and low taxes”. This was also recognised by students who took the survey, with some describing the city’s “natural beauty and high standard of living”, along with its “perfect combination of city life and nature”. 

Zurich ranked well in tenth for desirability. QS attributed the position to good job prospects, hosting “one of the country’s largest financial sectors”, quality of life that makes the city “clean, safe and immaculately maintained”, excellent universities and typical Swiss scenery.  

Zurich was let down by its affordability ranking, placing 111th in the world with a score of 25,3 -  the fourth lowest affordability score in the top 10 ranking student cities. The score can be explained by rising rental costs in cities like Zurich and higher cost of living - prices in Switzerland have previously been more than 50 percent higher than the EU average.

QS praises Zurich’s “reasonably low” tuition fees; however, international students starting at ETH this September will see fees triple from 730 to 2.190 Swiss francs per semester.

Best cities in the world 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.