Chennai, Delhi new entries in QS' favourite student-cities list

NEW DELHI: Chennai and Delhi join Mumbai and Bengaluru as top Indian cities for international students. In the latest QS Best Student-Cities Ranking, released on Wednesday, the four metros find place among 140 cities worldwide with Mumbai ranked highest among the Indian cities at 103, up from 106 last year followed by Bengaluru at 114. Chennai is ranked 125th while Delhi is at 129.

Globally, London, Seoul and Munich are the top three favourite destinations for international students, while Boston university of the US has been edged out of the Top 10.According to the report, Mumbai scored high in affordability but struggles in student mix and desirability. Chennai and Delhi are the new entries to the rankings. With just 47,427 international students in Indian universities, they comprise only a small fraction of the overall student population. "But, the country seeks to attract 2,00,000 international students, more than four times the current total, by the end of 2023, a goal which may need to be reviewed as it was set prior to the pandemic, which has affected international students' mobility," it stated.
QS uses six metric groups to compile the "Best Student Cities Ranking": whether the city has a range of highly-ranked universities (ranking); is this city a desirable place to live (desirability); is this city affordable for students (affordability); employer activity; and is the city a diverse and tolerant place (student mix) and do students who have actually studied in this city recommend it to their peers (student voice).