Canada is known for its stunning landscapes, friendly people and vast wildlife, and now, it can add student friendly to the list.
Not one, not two but five Canadian cities were recently ranked among the best cities in the world for students, with one spot making the top 10.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a higher education analytics firm based in the United Kingdom, dropped its Best Student Cities of 2025 ranking and a handful of Canadian destinations managed to make the esteemed list.
Now in its 12th year, the Best Student Cities rankings compare 150 study destinations in indicators important to international students — student feedback, university ranking, affordability, employment opportunities, and diversity, QS said.
London ranked first, thanks to its roster of world-class universities, diverse student population, exceptional career opportunity and outstanding feedback from current and former students, QS indicated.
Tokyo, Seoul, Munich, and Melbourne all made up the remainder of the top five.
So, which Canada cities made the cut?
Montreal ranked highest and was the only Canadian spot to make the top 10 — ranking 10th overall. With Montreal’s university scene thriving thanks to major schools such as McGill University, Université de Laval, UdeM, UQAM and Concordia University, it’s no surprise that the Quebec destination took a top spot.
Toronto was next, trailing behind Montreal by one single placement. With the University of Toronto taking the lead in a number of QS university rankings, it’s only fitting for Toronto to also rank so high.
Despite the University of British Columbia often times topping QS ranking lists when it comes to the best universities in Canada, Vancouver did manage to make the cut, but ranked 19th overall.
Ottawa ranked 57th, while Quebec City ranked 128th, marking the final Canadian city to make an appearance on the QS list.
Wondering which other global cities made the cut? Here’s the complete top 15 of the best cities in the world for student, per QS:
- London
- Tokyo
- Seoul
- Munich
- Melbourne
- Sydney
- Paris
- Zurich
- Berlin
- Montreal
- Toronto
- Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
- Edinburgh
- Vienna
- Singapore
This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
