QS Best Student Cities 2027: Mumbai Leads India At 91st; As Seoul Retains Global On Top Position

Mumbai has emerged as India’s highest-ranked student city in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings, moving up seven places from last year as the city continues to attract students with its universities, employment opportunities and relatively strong affordability.

The city has secured the 91st position globally, improving from 98th in the 2026 rankings. With an overall score of 61.8, Mumbai has now moved ahead of Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai among Indian cities assessed in the latest rankings.

The rankings were released by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds and cover 150 cities around the world.

Mumbai improves on Global student city rankings

Mumbai's rise in the rankings comes as the city records a particularly strong score for Employer Activity, reflecting the demand for graduates among employers and the employment opportunities available to students after completing their studies.

The city recorded an Employer Activity score of 78.3 and an Affordability score of 84.4. Its other scores include 43.5 for Student View, 15 for Student Mix, 44.9 for Desirability and 39 for university rankings.

Mumbai's overall performance places it ahead of all other Indian cities featured in the 2027 list.

Delhi named World's most affordable student city

Delhi has also improved its position, rising from 104th in 2026 to 99th in 2027. While Mumbai leads India in the overall rankings, Delhi has been recognised as the most affordable student city in the world.

The capital recorded an Affordability score of 93.9, the highest among the 150 cities included in the rankings. Average international tuition fees in Delhi are around US$2,700 per year, making it the most affordable destination in the list on this measure.

Delhi also performed strongly on Employer Activity, ranking 29th globally with a score of 80.4.

Both Mumbai and Delhi benefit from a combination of relatively low costs and strong employment prospects. Mumbai ranked 12th globally for Affordability, while its Employer Activity ranking stood at 34th.

Chennai recorded the second-biggest improvement among the Indian cities included in the rankings, moving up five places from 128th to 123rd.

Bengaluru, meanwhile, was the only Indian city to record a decline in the latest rankings. It fell six places from 108th in 2026 to joint 114th in 2027, with an overall score of 56.1.

One factor affecting Bengaluru's position is its relatively high international tuition fees compared with the other three Indian cities. Average international tuition fees are around US$5,400 per year, the highest among Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Indian Cities In QS Best Student Cities 2027

Mumbai: Rank 91 | Overall score 61.8

Delhi: Rank 99 | Overall score 60.3

Bengaluru: Joint rank 114 | Overall score 56.1

Chennai: Rank 123 | Overall score 54

Seoul retains Top spot globally

At the global level, Seoul has retained its position as the world's best student city in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings.

Tokyo remained in second place, followed by London in third. Melbourne moved up one position to fourth, while Munich and Sydney shared fifth place.

The top 10 also included Paris at seventh, Berlin at eighth, Vienna at ninth and Zurich at 10th.

Among other major Asian destinations, Singapore held on to 11th place, while Beijing climbed to 12th. Kuala Lumpur dropped three places to 15th.

QS Best Student Cities 2027: Top 10

Seoul

Tokyo

London

Melbourne

Munich and Sydney (joint)

Paris

Berlin

Vienna

Zurich

The QS Best Student Cities rankings assess cities using six broad indicators, university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix and student view.

Published on: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 06:52 PM IST