PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur breaks into the global top 15 best student cities for the first time, rising 11 spots to a record 12th place.
The city also stands in the fourth position in Asia, just behind Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore.
In the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities Rankings 2026, the city has improved across four of the six key metrics used in the rankings, including a strong performance in Employer Activity and substantial gains in Student Mix and Desirability.
Since its debut in 2016 at 53rd place, the city has shown consistent upward momentum, with the only exception being a slight dip in 2022.
However, Shah Alam dropped 21 places to the 144th position, as it declined across five of the six metrics used to compile the rankings.
Kuala Lumpur has also climbed 10 positions in the QS World University Rankings indicator, placing 10th globally and sixth-best in Asia. This indicator is based on the performance of the local universities in QS’ flagship global rankings.
The city performs excellently in the Employer Activity category, placing 15th globally and fourth in Asia.
This metric is based on responses from over 82,000 international employers surveyed by QS, as well as a “youth employment bonus” derived from World Bank data, which adjusts scores based on youth employment levels to reward cities offering strong employment prospects for young graduates.
In the Student Mix category, which captures the diversity and scale of the student population, Kuala Lumpur jumped 25 places to rank 47th globally, tied with Hong Kong..
In the Desirability metric, which combines QS’s global survey of prospective students with a wide range of data sources—including pollution levels, safety, TripAdvisor ratings, and corruption indices—Kuala Lumpur climbs eight ranks to place 81st, representing its weakest performance across the indicators.
According to a press release on Tuesday (July 15), QS said affordability remains a key factor for prospective students when choosing where to study and live.
The rankings show that 25 of the 30 most affordable student cities are located in Asia, highlighting the region’s relative cost advantage. Kuala Lumpur places 33rd globally in this indicator, dropping nine positions year-on-year.
In the Student Voice category—based on over 49,000 student opinions about inclusivity, friendliness, transport, culture, and more—Kuala Lumpur placed 69th globally, a slight dip of two spots from last year.
QS chief executive officer Jessica Turner said Kuala Lumpur’s “continuous ascent”, having improved almost every year since 2016, underscores the city’s dedicated efforts to establish itself as a premier global study destination.
The newly released 2026 rankings, which feature 150 cities and districts, also reveal a notable shift in the global landscape, with Seoul overtaking London to become the world’s best student city for the first time.
Tokyo retains its second place, while London, which held the number-one position for six consecutive years, falls to third place, largely due to a significant drop in the Affordability indicator, where it slipped 11 places to rank 137th globally.
Rounding out the global top ten are Munich (4th), Melbourne (5th), Sydney (6th), Berlin and Paris (joint 7th), Zurich (9th), and Vienna (10th).
Notably, Asian cities continue to rise in prominence. This year, 39 cities from the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Australia and New Zealand) are featured, including three newcomers.
Kyoto and Osaka make their debut as individually ranked cities, having previously been grouped under the Kyoto–Osaka–Kobe metropolitan label.
Among the 34 Asian cities ranked last year, 26 have improved their positions, one
remains unchanged, and only seven have declined, with just four falling by more than three places.
Several Asian cities have achieved their highest-ever rankings since the list’s inception, including Seoul (1st), Kuala Lumpur (12th), Beijing (13th), and Taipei (14th), underscoring Asia’s growing prominence as a global hub for higher education.
QS ranks cities with a population of at least 250,000 and with at least two universities placing in the QS World University Rankings.
The ranking offers a powerful lens into the sentiments of both prospective and former students, with 100,000 survey responses contributing to the Desirability (prospective students) and Student Voice (former students) indexes. Each category carries equal weight.
The full 11th edition of the rankings, released today, can be found at https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings
