Hong Kong stays 17th in QS Best Student Cities 2027, scoring strongly for universities and desirability, while affordability remains its biggest challenge for international students choosing where to study abroad.
Hong Kong still has a strong place on the global student map. The city retained 17th place in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking, compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, the higher education analytics firm behind the QS rankings.
The list compares student cities using factors such as university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability and student feedback.
Hong Kong scored 87.7 overall, putting it just behind Kyoto and ahead of Boston in the global ranking. Its strongest result came from University Rankings, where the city placed 6th worldwide, reflecting the strength of institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, HKUST, Chinese University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong.
It also performed well for Desirability, ranking 36th. Other scores were more mixed, with Hong Kong placing 49th for Student Mix, 52nd for Employer Activity and 55th for Student View. Affordability remains the city’s weakest category, ranking 86th out of 150.
At the top of the ranking, Seoul took first place with a perfect score of 100, followed by Tokyo in second and London in third. Melbourne ranked fourth, while Munich and Sydney shared fifth place.
Paris came seventh, ahead of Berlin, Vienna and Zurich.
The results show a strong performance from Asian cities, with Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Beijing, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto and Hong Kong all appearing inside the global top 20.
Image credits: HKU