QS Best Student Cities 2027: Mumbai ranks highest in India, Delhi named world's most affordable student city

Mumbai has overtaken other Indian cities to become the country's top student destination in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings, while Delhi has been named the world's most affordable city for students, according to the latest assessment released by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

The 2027 edition evaluated 150 cities worldwide using 23 indicators grouped under six categories: university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix, and student view.

Eligible cities were required to have a population of more than 250,000 and at least two universities featured in the QS World University Rankings.

Mumbai climbed seven places from 98th in 2026 to 91st globally, recording an overall score of 61.8 to become India's highest-ranked city. The improvement was largely driven by strong performances in employer activity and affordability.

Mumbai scored 78.3 for Employer Activity and 84.4 for Affordability, along with 44.9 in Desirability, 43.5 in Student View, 39 in University Rankings, and 15 in Student Mix.

Delhi also improved its standing, moving up from 104th to 99th with an overall score of 60.3. The national capital secured the highest Affordability score among all ranked cities at 93.9.

QS said average annual tuition fees for international students in Delhi are about US$2,700, making it the most affordable student city globally.

Delhi also received 80.4 for Employer Activity and ranked 29th worldwide on that indicator, highlighting favorable graduate employment opportunities.

Among the remaining Indian cities, Chennai advanced five places to 123rd, while Bengaluru slipped six positions to joint 114th.

According to QS, Bengaluru's decline was partly linked to comparatively higher international tuition costs, averaging around US$5,400 annually, the highest among the four Indian cities included in the rankings.

Internationally, Seoul retained the top spot with a perfect overall score of 100, supported by the strongest University Rankings performance among all cities.

Tokyo placed second after achieving a perfect Employer Activity score, while London ranked third and continued to perform strongly on Student View despite lower affordability.

Melbourne secured fourth place, with Munich and Sydney sharing fifth. Vienna recorded the highest Desirability score among the top 10 cities, while Melbourne stood out for its international student mix.

Beyond the top 10, Singapore ranked 11th, Beijing 12th, and Kuala Lumpur 15th, reflecting Asia's growing prominence as a destination for higher education.

According to QS, the Best Student Cities rankings are intended to help prospective students evaluate study destinations by comparing academic excellence, affordability, employability, and the overall student experience.

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