Japan and the US Lose Out! The Champion of 'World's Best Student Cities' Is This: Top University Rankings and a Favorite Among Taiwanese Students

The UK-based higher education research organization QS has released its 2027 Best Student Cities ranking, with Taiwan achieving strong results—five cities have made it into the global list of 150 top student cities. Taipei demonstrated robust educational and lifestyle appeal, maintaining its strong 14th position worldwide. Hsinchu followed closely at 74th, becoming the second Taiwanese city to enter the global top 100. Additionally, Taichung, Taoyuan, and Kaohsiung—making its debut on the list—ranked 126th, 131st, and 134th respectively. Tainan, which previously ranked within the top 100, was not included this year.

What is Taiwan's biggest advantage as a study destination? Affordability reigns supreme. QS requires cities to have a population over 250,000 and at least two universities featured in the QS World University Rankings to qualify. The evaluation covers six key indicators: university rankings, desirability, affordability, student mix, and employer activity. In this year's assessment, Taiwan's cities excelled notably in 'affordability,' with all five cities entering the global top 30. Even Hsinchu, where living and study costs are relatively higher, achieved 26th place globally in this category, highlighting Taiwan's high-quality and cost-effective higher education environment.

Globally, the top four student cities in 2027 are Seoul, Tokyo, London, and Melbourne, with Munich and Sydney tied for fifth. Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Zurich occupy positions seven through ten. Asian cities led in multiple indicators: Seoul topped 'university rankings,' Tokyo ranked first in 'employer activity,' and Delhi was named the world's most affordable student city. Ahead of Taipei in Asia are Singapore and Beijing, ranked 11th and 12th respectively.

The number of Taiwanese students studying in South Korea has been rising steadily. Statistics show that the number of Taiwanese students in Korea increased from 265 in 2016 to 2,150 in 2024—a staggering 711.3% growth—making South Korea an emerging hotspot for Taiwanese students seeking overseas education.

Despite Taiwan's strengths in cost of living, its cities show room for improvement in 'employer activity.' This metric evaluates how favorably domestic and international employers view recent graduates from a given city. Among Taiwan's ranked cities, Taipei performed best at 48th globally, followed by Hsinchu at 89th. Taichung, Taoyuan, and Kaohsiung ranked much lower at 143rd, 146th, and 148th respectively. QS notes this outcome aligns with its recently released 2027 World University Rankings. Graduates from Taiwanese universities possess strong practical skills and benefit from robust industry-academia collaboration, resulting in excellent 'employment outcomes.' National Taiwan University ranks an impressive 10th globally, and National Chengchi University is 65th. However, these strong workplace performances have not fully translated into international 'employer reputation.' In the 'employer reputation' indicator, only National Taiwan University made the global top 100, ranking 64th, while most other institutions showed declining positions. This suggests that global employers' awareness of talent developed in Taiwan still needs improvement.