The Brief
What Makes Seoul the Best Student City
For the first time, the South Korean capital city has topped the list of QS’ Best Student Cities.
A lot goes into a student’s decision on where to study. Factors such as academic quality, graduate employment outcomes and interest in their chosen field of study all influence the ultimate decision of which university to select.
But another significant factor that perhaps gets lost in the discussions around university rankings and reputation is how welcomed students feel. Over the history of QS’ ongoing International Student Survey, one of the largest surveys of its kind, respondents consistently place welcoming environment as one of the most important factors for them.
Many respondents also place culture and lifestyle as a substantial draw for them. It may also come as a surprise that, at times, prospective students prioritise culture and lifestyle it over a destination having well-ranked universities.
Like any good real estate agent will tell you, it’s all about destination, destination, destination. And for the first time, Seoul has topped the QS Best Student Cities Ranking.
In the lead up to the 2025 QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific in Seoul, lets unpack the factors behind the South Korean capital’s rise to number one.
Gains in Desirability, Affordability Returns
The 2026 QS Best Student City rankings uses a methodology made up of six broad categories: University Rankings, Student Mix, Desirability, Employer Activity, Affordability, and Student Voice.
University Rankings
- How many universities does the city have which are in the QS World University Rankings?
- How well do those universities perform in the latest rankings?
Student Mix
- What proportion of the city's population are students?
- How many international students are enrolled in the city?
- How inclusive is the city and the country it's located in?
Desirability
- How safe is the city?
- What are the pollution levels like in the city?
- How many respondents to our student survey wanted to study in the city?
Employer Activity
- What is youth employment like in the city?
- What do employers think of the graduates produced by universities in the city?
Affordability
- How much does tuition cost at the city's universities?
- What is the cost of living for students in the city?
Student Voice
- What ratings did students give the city's friendliness, sustainability, diversity and more?
- What proportion of students continue to live in the city after graduation?
Over the past three editions of the ranking, Seoul has more or less remained fairly stable. From 2024-2026, it received a perfect score of 100 for University Rankings. Likewise, Employer Activity has increased slightly, while Student Mix and Student Voice decreased slightly.
Where significant swings were found, however, was in both the Desirability and Affordability measures.
University Rankings
Score
Change from previous year
Student Mix
Score
Change from previous year
Desirability
Score
Change from previous year
Employer Activity
Score
Change from previous year
Affordability
Score
Change from previous year
Student Voice
Score
Change from previous year
While Seoul saw a substantial jump in its affordability score, it's important to understand this improvement within both its historical context and the broader context of the rankings.
In the 2025 ranking, Seoul's Affordability rank and score dropped roughly the same amount as it increased in the 2026 ranking. More than anything, this year saw Seoul return to where it was two years ago in terms of affordability, rather than a recognisable trend towards better affordability.
In the broader context of the ranking, however, Seoul's Affordability performance is part of a trend of Asia Pacific cities become more affordable, especially relative to Europe.
Of note:
- Beijing improved 26.4 points to achieve a score of 76.0
- Tokyo improved 17.6 points to reach a score of 57.1
- Taipei improve 15.3 points to achieve a score of 81.4
By comparison:
- Edinburgh lost 16.1 points to drop to a score of 18.8
- Zurich lost 9.1 points to hit a score of 25.3
- London lost 8.7 point to decrease to a score of 12.6
While impressive, the jump in and return to previous levels on Affordability in Seoul still don't see it addressing its most significant weak spot: Seoul is the third least affordable city in East Asia, ahead of only Hong Kong and Macau. When widening to the Asia Pacific, it ranks 35th out of 47. As well as the aforementioned Hong Kong and Macau, Seoul sits in front of all ranked New Zealand and Australian cities, and Singapore.
While a weak spot, another way of considering Seoul's middling Affordability performance is that it provides an almost ideal opportunity to grow and maintain its position as the overall first ranked Best Student City. Even the greats had areas they worked on them. Happily, addressing the Affordability score might also help with Student Mix and Student Voice scores, namely helping more international students choose to study in Seoul, and making it easier to stay after graduation.
You can experience the 2026 QS Best Student City yourself, as well as discuss the future of higher education in the region by joining us as the 2025 QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific in Seoul in November.