Melbourne remains the best student city in the country and has leapfrogged Paris and Montreal to become the third best student city in the world, according to the QS Best Student Cities 2018 ranking.
Victoria’s capital moves up two spots on last year’s ranking, and now sits behind only London and Tokyo.
Melbourne also maintained its status as Australia’s best student city for the fourth year in a row, with Sydney ranked ninth, Brisbane 21st, Canberra 22nd and Perth 39th.
The climb up the rankings is due to high praise from current and former students, including international students, which forms one of the six indicator categories.
The other five categories are desirability, affordability, student mix, university rankings and employer activity.
Melbourne consistently ranks at the top of the ‘student mix’ category, reflecting our strong multi-cultural society and consistent growth in international student numbers.
High scores in other categories reflect Melbourne’s status as Australia’s cultural capital and the world’s most liveable city.
Melbourne provides students with rich and varied experiences – from the beautiful beaches and natural wonders just a short drive from the CBD, to a plethora of sporting events, arts, music, comedy, film, and multicultural festivals.
A high score for ‘desirability’, a category encompassing student safety, reflects the investment the Andrews Labor Government has made in the wellbeing of international students.
The Labor Government’s four-year International Student Welfare Program has funded more than 45 projects dedicated to student wellbeing, experience, integration and safety since 2016.
Victoria’s international education sector is flourishing –more than 200,000 students from over 170 countries have come here to study and experience everything Victoria has to offer.
Last financial year the sector generated $9.1 billion in onshore revenue, making it the state’s largest services export industry and supporting more than 58,000 local jobs.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Trade and Investment Philip Dalidakis
“Melbourne remains Australia’s best student city, reinforcing the fact that Victoria offers international students a wide ranging and exciting experience.”
“Students from around the world are choosing to study in Victoria because of our premium higher education and research institutions, our strong focus on student wellbeing and our inclusive multicultural society.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020