Melbourne crowned Australia’s best student city

The latest results released by global higher education specialist Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) have reinforced Victoria’s reputation as a world-class destination for international education.

QS's Best Student Cities index measures cities around the world based on:

• affordability
• quality of life
• standard of universities
• cultural diversity.

Melbourne ranked first in the world for Student Mix, an indicator that measures student diversity. This is a renowned strength of our international education sector. It is reflected in the 322,000 international enrolments our state received last year from around 170 countries.

Melbourne also ranked sixth in the world for Student Voice. This captures the student experience across categories including:

• tolerance and inclusion
• transport
• affordability
• employment opportunities.

Earlier this year Melbourne was named the best city in the world in Time Out's annual Best Cities list, ahead of global powerhouses Shanghai, Edinburgh, London and New York.

Victoria’s appeal is driven by the strength of its education sector, which is among the best in the world. The state is home to 2 Australian universities ranked in the top 50 of the QS Universities Rankings.

We recently released Study with Victoria, a new strategy to strengthen and grow Victoria's position as a global leader in international education.

International education is Victoria’s largest single export, generating $17.9 billion in export revenue in 2025 and supporting around 69,000 jobs.

View the QS Best Student Cities 2027 results on the QS website.