.jpeg)
QS Best Student Cities 2026 List: Delhi has been named the most affordable student city in the world, according to the QS Best Student Cities Ranking 2026. While Mumbai has made a comeback into the top 100 student cities globally, Bengaluru and Chennai have also improved their rankings overall.
According to the list of cities released by QS, all four Indian cities featured in this year’s ranking have moved up from their previous positions, indicative of a broader upward shift in India’s academic visibility, affordability, and improvement in workforce relevance.
Which Indian cities made it to the 2026 list?
According to QS Quacquarelli Symonds, Mumbai emerged as the highest-ranked Indian city at 98th place globally, marking a significant leap of 15 spots from last year. Delhi climbed seven places to 104th and secured the top spot in the affordability category, making it the cheapest student city globally in 2026.
Bengaluru, known for its technology and research ecosystem, jumped 22 places to 108th rank. Chennai also improved, rising 12 spots to settle at the 128th position.
|
City |
Rank in 2026 |
Overall Score |
|
Mumbai |
98 |
86.3 |
|
Delhi |
104 |
60.5 |
|
Bangalore |
108 |
59.6 |
|
Chennai |
128 |
54.1 |
The presence of leading institutions in these cities adds weight to their rankings. Mumbai houses the University of Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, while Delhi is home to prestigious institutions like the University of Delhi and IIT Delhi. Bengaluru has the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IIM Bengaluru, and a number of other popular private universities, and Chennai features institutions like Anna University and IIT Madras.
How affordable are Indian cities for students?
Affordability has been a consistent strength for Indian cities in the QS rankings. Delhi ranked first globally for affordability, scoring 96.5 in this category, with Bangaluru scoring 84.3 and Chennai 80.1 on the affordability index.
This indicator takes into account average tuition fees and cost of living, both of which remain significantly lower in Indian cities compared to top-ranked global education hubs.
Which are the world’s top student cities in 2026?
Globally, Seoul has claimed the top spot, displacing London. The top five cities in the 2026 edition are:
London, which had held the number one position for six years, dropped to third place, mainly because it became less affordable for students. It fell 11 places in the affordability category, ranking 137th globally.
What about graduate employment prospects?
In the ‘Employer Activity’ indicator, which assesses how highly employers regard graduates from a city, Delhi and Mumbai both placed in the global top 50. Bangalore made the steepest improvement of any Indian city, climbing 41 spots to reach 59th position. Chennai also showed significant movement, advancing 29 places.
These gains reflect rising employer confidence in the talent emerging from India’s top academic institutions, many of which are now also improving in global university rankings.
How did Indian cities rank overall compared to 2025?
When compared to last year’s rankings, all four Indian cities showed upward movement:
Notably, in the QS World University Rankings released earlier in 2025, nearly 50 per cent of Indian universities improved their standing. IIT Delhi was ranked the best institution in India, while globally, MIT retained its position as the top-ranked university for the 14th consecutive year.
Achievement comes amid five years of NEP
The improved visibility of Indian cities and institutions in global rankings comes at a time when India is marking five years of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. One of the aims of the NEP has been to internationalise Indian education and improve quality standards, which is beginning to reflect in both university-level and city-level rankings.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Admission Guidance 2024: WhatsApp https://wa.me/917720025900
Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new VidyarthiMitra app. Download from Google Play
Aptitude Test | Career Counselling | Option From Filling | Admission Assistance |
Call 77200 25900 or 77200 81400
11th Admissions (FYJC) & DTE Cut-off | Cutoffs 2024 |
We bring you the fastest and most relevant notifications on Bank, Railways, and Government Jobs. Stay Connected
Join us on WhatsApp https://wa.me/917720025900
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get free Educational & jobs alerts on WhatsApp OR Telegram(https://t.me/VidyarthiMitra) Save this mobile number (77200 25900) on your phone as VidyarthiMitra.org and send a WhatsApp message (Your Name, City & Interest)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'विद्यार्थी मित्र' जॉईन करा आणि मिळवा न्यूज, नोकरी, शासकीय व निमशासकीय नोकऱ्यांच्या जाहिराती व माहिती अगदी विनामूल्य ते ही आपल्या व्हॉटस्अॅपवर किंवा* *टेलेग्राम (https://t.me/VidyarthiMitra) 77200 25900 हा मोबाईल नं. सेव्ह करून आपले <नाव> <शहर> <नोकरी/शिक्षण> पाठवा.
Knowledge from Far Away: Scholarships for Foreign Education
DU UG Admissions 2025
AIIMS CRE 2025
ICSI CSEET Result 2025 To Be OUT Today
Nagaland University launches new MA programme
ETS launches Global Employability Test 2025
.jpeg)
Record-Breaking Registrations for Engineering Admissions
NEET MDS Counselling 2025: Round 2 registration begins
Maharashtra FYJC Admission 2025
BSc Nursing Admission
DTE Maharashtra Polytechnic Final Merit List 2025 out
Polytechnic Admission 2025
Archives to Algorithms
ICAI CA September 2025 Registration Begin
Maharashtra FYJC Admissions
ICAI CA Foundation Result 2025 declared,
.jpeg)
पुणे महानगरपालिका : उच्च शिक्षणासाठी अर्थसहाय्य
पुणे महानगरपालिका : कॉलेज विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी सायकल
MAH B.Pharmacy/ Pharm.D Admission 2025
ICAI CA Result May 2025 Date and Time
CUET UG 2025 Result
Maharashtra CET Exam
5.png)
Maharashtra Engineering admission 2025
.jpeg)
मुंबई विद्यापीठात ऑनलाईन MMS-MCA प्रवेश सुरू
IGNOU July 2025 re-registration deadline extended
MAH MCA CET 2025 counselling registration begins
MAH MBA CET Counselling 2025
Maharashtra LLB admission 2025
NIFT UG, PG Registration Round 1 Ends Today;
NIOS Class 10th Result 2025 OUT
Best Engineering colleges
CSAB NEUT Counselling 2025
FYJC Round 1 List 2025
CUET UG 2025 Results Soon:
ICAI CA Final Result Date 2025
CUET UG Result 2025 Date
BSc Astronomy vs BTech Space Technology
JNU Opens PhD Admissions 2025
Polytechnic admission 2025:
DVET ITI admission 2025
Maharashtra Polytechnic admissions 2025
.jpeg)
Engineering Admission 2025
NMIMS NPAT Result 2025 Declared
CUET UG Result 2025 Releasing Soon
4.png)
IAT 2025 Result announced
.jpeg)
GPAT result 2025 expected today
IIT Delhi Scholarships 2025
IISER Result 2025 Released
JoSAA Counselling 2025 Round 2
4.png)
CSAB NEUT Counselling 2025
UGC NET 2025 Hall Ticket Released
NEET MDS 2025 Counselling Schedule Out
IGNOU Launches BA Home Science under FYUP for July session
MSBTE Diploma Result 2025
.jpeg)
Acupuncture Courses
.jpeg)
IISER Result 2025 Expected Soon At iiseradmission.in
मातीतलं करिअर: कृषी पदविका
3.png)
MSBTE Summer Diploma Result 2025
4.png)
QS World Rankings 2025
NEET UG 2025 Result
.jpeg)
Engineering Admission 2025
.jpeg)
LLB 3 Years CET Result
.jpeg)
Master of Business Administration Career (MBA )
.jpeg)
Delhi University PG Admissions 2025
4.png)
The University Impact Rankings 2025
CUET UG 2025 Answer Key Released At cuet.nta.nic.in
JoSAA Counselling 2025
12.jpg)
NTA releases CUET UG 2025 provisional answer key
.jpeg)
JoSAA Counselling 2025
.jpeg)
Delhi University Admissions 2025
23.jpg)
MHT-CET PCB 2025 Result
ICSI CSEET 2025 Registration Begin
Foreign Scholarship
Pharmacy admission 2025
बीबीए-बीसीएच्या अतिरिक्त CET साठी नोंदणी सुरू
16.jpg)
यूपीएससी तयारी
Nursing Career Courses
Students of 8th to 12th Std. & Under Graduates
Aptitude Test | Expert Counselling | Discover Career
Enquiry : info@vidyarthimitra.org
For Mock Exams MHT-CET, JEE, NEET
More->
WhatsApp AlertsIndia's Leading Educational Web Portal now available on Google play store Click to Download
.jpeg)
