There are many things that make a great city for higher education – a rich cultural scene, a safe environment, a reasonable cost of living and much more, depending on personal priorities. But the most important ingredient has to be a high concentration of top universities.
A city full of great universities creates what London mayor Boris Johnson has called “a cyclotron of human beings” – bringing together a diverse and exciting range of talented people, who collide to create a creative, innovative and inspiring environment.
Based on the number of institutions from each city which appear in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings top 400, Times Higher Education magazine has compiled a list of the top 18 cities.
The top 10 best cities for higher education:
Rank |
City |
Institutions in WUR top 400 |
10 |
Barcelona |
3 |
7= |
Sydney |
4 |
7= |
Melbourne |
4 |
7= |
Tokyo |
4 |
5= |
Seoul |
5 |
5= |
New York |
5 |
3= |
Paris |
6 |
3= |
Hong Kong |
6 |
2 |
Boston (and surrounding areas) |
7 |
1 |
London |
9 |
View the full list of the world's 18 best cities for higher education and join the conversation
Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor of London for business and enterprise, says why he thinks London is the world's best city for higher education