Mumbai has become highest-ranked student city amongst the four Indian cities in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings. The city climbed seven places from 98th in 2026 to 91st in the current global ranking.
The QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings were released on Monday by international higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds. The rankings assess 150 cities around the world. To be eligible for the rankings, a city must have a population of more than 250,000 people. It must also have at least two universities that feature in the QS World University Rankings.
Mumbai also performed well on affordability and ranked 12th globally in this category. Whereas Delhi was named the world's most affordable city for students. It ranked first among all 150 cities in the affordability category. Bengaluru has the highest international fees from the four Indian cities in the rankings.
Delhi and Mumbai recorded similar strengths in other areas of the rankings as well. Delhi ranked 29th in the Employer Activity category, while Mumbai secured the 34th position. Delhi and Chennai improved their standing in the overall rankings, whereas Bengaluru declined.
The QS Best Student Cities rankings are prepared using a combination of independent third-party data and 23 indicators from QS's own surveys. These indicators are grouped into six categories. These categories are institution quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix, and student view.
Globally, Seoul retained top position in the ranking. Tokyo ranked second, while London secured the third position.