London second best city in world to be a student says survey

It is one of four of the UK’s largest cities to be ranked in the table, followed by Manchester, which finished 35th, Birmingham, which was 47th, and Glasgow, which was in 50th place

There are six American cities in the top 50 and five from Australia.

Boston – the home of Harvard University was ranked third – while Melboure was fourth and Vienna fifth. There were 20 European cities in the top 50 and nine in Asia. None of Yorkshire’s university cities made the list.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: “I’m delighted to learn that London has once again been confirmed as one of the best places on earth to be a student. With the Olympic Games just around the corner, London is undergoing an enormous transformation. We’ve got twice as many book shops as New York, and more museums than Paris. And by the way, our museums are free.”

The QS rankings, by the research specialist behind the annual QS World University Rankings. assessed the different cities according to the number of internationally recognised universities alongside factors such as affordability and quality of living.

London and Paris were level in scores for student mix, quality of living and employer reputatation, but the lower cost of Parisian institutions landed the city first place in the table. Non-EU international undergraduate fees in Paris average less than £1,000 per year, compared with up to £20,000 in London and £38,000 in the US.