MANILA’S LOW cost of living and youth employment earned it a higher spot in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities Ranking, climbing 15 notches from its ranking in the previous edition.
In the latest QS Best Student Cities Ranking, Manila landed 88th among 150 cities worldwide, higher than its previous ranking of 103rd.
The city’s overall score also improved to 63.9 from 59.4 in the previous edition, driven by its performance in its two highest-scored indicators: affordability (85.3), which measures tuition and living costs for students; and employer activity (68.4), which looks into the city’s youth employment and the perception of employers on graduates.
However, Manila got its lowest scores in student mix (31.2), which determines the proportion of students to the city’s population, the number of international students and the city’s inclusivity; and rankings (35.2), which assesses the city according to the performance of its schools in the QS World University Rankings.
A total of three Manila universities were able to enter the QS World University Rankings this year, including UST, which placed fourth in the country and landed within the 851-900 band overall.
READ: UST still the 4th best PH University in QS World Rankings despite higher score – The Flame
While Manila’s score in student view (57) indicated that students generally continue to live in the city after graduation, it garnered a lower score of 37.2 for desirability, a category for safety, pollution levels and the preference of students to study in the city.
The QS Best Student Cities Ranking ranks cities with over 250,000 population and at least two universities featured in the latest QS world University Rankings.
Seoul emerged as the best city for international students with an overall score of 100, followed by Tokyo at 99.9. London, which previously topped the rankings for six consecutive years, dropped to third after scoring 12.6 on affordability, pulling its overall score down to 97.1.
Now in its 11th edition, the QS Best Student Cities Ranking annually assesses the best urban destinations for international students across 58 countries and territories according to its six indicators. F
