Seoul beats London to become world's best city for international students in 2026

The South Korean capital jumped two spots from last year to overtake Tokyo, which held steady in second place, missing the top spot by just 0.01 point.

London, last year's leader, slipped to third with 97.1 points.

The annual ranking by education consultancy QS evaluates cities based on university quality, international student population, student desirability, job prospects after graduation, affordability and student feedback.

This year's top 10 features six European cities, two from Asia, and two in Oceania. Munich, Melbourne and Sydney held steady at fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Berlin climbed two spots to seventh, while Paris and Zurich each moved up one rank to eighth and ninth. Vienna rounded out the top 10 after a four-place jump, replacing Montreal.

To qualify for the list, a city must have at least 250,000 residents and two or more universities featured in the latest QS World University Rankings.