Melbourne tops the nation again as Best Student City

Melbourne has retained the title of Australia’s best student city, following the release of global rankings.

It has retained this ranking every year since 2015, and has also been named the fifth-best student city in the world.

The rankings are by global higher education specialist Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). QS measures affordability, quality of life, standard of universities and diversity. Melbourne ranked #1 on ‘student mix’, which measures international diversity and inclusion. This reflects the 330,000 international enrolments coming from around 175 countries to study in Victoria.

These results highlight Victoria’s world-class education opportunities. Victoria is home to 2 of Australia’s universities ranked in the top 50 worldwide: Melbourne and Monash. University of Melbourne remains the nation’s top university. Monash has climbed to 36th globally.

Melbourne also retained the title of Australia’s Most Liveable City and fourth in the world, according to The Global Liveability Index 2025. Across five broad categories, Melbourne scored a perfect 100/100 in Healthcare and Education.

International education is Victoria’s largest single export. It generates nearly $16 billion in 2024 and supporting 64,000 jobs across the state. We will always welcome international students to Australia’s Best Student City. We've invested $18.6 million in international education programs and services in the Victorian Budget 2025/26. This is in addition to the $5 million Yes to International Students Fund. The fund supports Victoria’s world-class TAFEs and universities to grow across the globe, in countries including:

• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Vietnam
• Sri Lanka.

Read more at Study Melbourne.