QS Best Student Cities 2027: Delhi named world's most affordable student city; Mumbai tops India

Delhi has been recognised as the world's most affordable city for students, while Mumbai has emerged as India's highest-ranked student destination in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings released by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The annual rankings evaluate 150 cities worldwide across six parameters university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix and student view.

Climbing from 98th in the 2026 edition to 91st this year, making it the highest-ranked Indian city, Mumbai improved seven places in the overall rankings. Delhi also moved up from 104th to 99th place. Chennai rose five positions to 123rd, while Bengaluru slipped six places to joint 114th.

Mumbai ranked 34th worldwide for employer activity and 12th for affordability. According to QS, the city's combination of higher education institutions, employment opportunities and relatively affordable education contributed to its improved performance.

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World's top cities for student life

National Capital Delhi has secured the top global rank for affordability. Average annual international tuition fees in the city are around US$2,700 (Rs 2.60 lakh approx). It also performed strongly in employer activity, ranking 29th globally, indicating robust demand for graduates among recruiters.

Bengaluru was the only Indian city to record a decline in the rankings. QS attributed the drop partly to the city's comparatively higher international tuition fees, averaging around US$5,400 per year among the four Indian cities featured in the list.

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QS best student cities rankings

The QS Best Student Cities rankings are based on 23 indicators grouped under six broad categories: university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix and student view. To be eligible, a city must have a population exceeding 2,50,000 and host at least two universities featured in the QS World University Rankings.

Globally, Seoul retained its position as the world's best student city, followed by Tokyo and London. Melbourne climbed to fourth place, while Munich and Sydney shared fifth. Paris ranked seventh, followed by Berlin, Vienna and Zurich in the top 10. Among Asian cities, Singapore placed 11th, Beijing 12th and Kuala Lumpur 15th.