- Mumbai ranks highest among Indian cities at 91st in QS Best Student Cities 2027
- Delhi is the world's most affordable student city with the highest affordability score
- Mumbai excels in employer activity and affordability, scoring 78.3 and 84.4 respectively
Mumbai has emerged as India's highest-ranked student city in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings, climbing seven places to secure the 91st position globally, while Delhi has been recognised as the world's most affordable student city, according to the latest rankings released by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
The rankings assessed 150 cities worldwide on six parameters, including university quality, employer activity, affordability, desirability, student mix and student view.
Mumbai improved from 98th in 2026 to 91st in 2027, earning an overall score of 61.8. The city ranked ahead of Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, making it the highest-ranked Indian city this year.
Check QS Best Student Cities 2027 full list here
According to the report, Mumbai's strong performance was driven by its employment opportunities and affordability. It scored 78.3 in Employer Activity, highlighting the demand for graduates among employers, and 84.4 in Affordability. The city also received scores of 44.9 for Desirability, 43.5 for Student View, 39 for University Rankings and 15 for Student Mix.
Delhi also improved its position, moving up from 104th to 99th globally with an overall score of 60.3. The capital topped the affordability indicator with a score of 93.9, the highest among all 150 cities ranked by QS. The report noted that average international tuition fees in Delhi are around US$2,700 per year, making it the most affordable destination for international students. Delhi also scored 80.4 in Employer Activity.
Among the other Indian cities, Chennai climbed five places to 123rd, while Bengaluru dropped six places to joint 114th. QS attributed Bengaluru's decline partly to its relatively higher international tuition fees, which average around US$5,400 per year.
At the global level, Seoul retained its position as the world's best student city, followed by Tokyo and London. Melbourne ranked fourth, while Munich and Sydney shared the fifth position.
The QS Best Student Cities rankings are published annually to help students compare cities across the world based on academic quality, affordability, career prospects and overall student experience.