New Delhi: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai are among the world’s top 130 cities for students with the national capital being ranked as the most affordable city globally for students, according to QS rankings announced on Tuesday.
All four Indian metropolises featured in the 2026 QS Best Student Cities ranking – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai – have improved their positions, reflecting growing momentum in India’s higher education appeal.
According to prestigious rankings announced by London-based QS, Mumbai has re-entered the global top 100, rising 15 places to secure the 98th position. Delhi has climbed seven spots to 104th, while Bengaluru sees the most dramatic improvement among the Indian cities, soaring 22 places to 108th. Chennai has also advanced significantly, gaining 12 positions to rank 128th.
Mumbai and Bengaluru have also performed strongly on the affordability metric, placed within the top 15. In the Employer Activity category, Delhi and Mumbai both break into the global top 50, highlighting strong graduate employment prospects. Bengaluru makes the sharpest leap in this dimension, jumping 41 places to rank 59th.
while Chennai climbs an impressive 29 spots, underscoring a growing recognition of its graduates in the job market.
“India’s rising presence in the 2026 QS Best Student Cities Rankings is more than a statistical bump – it reflects a structural shift in the country’s higher education landscape. As we approach the fifth anniversary of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, its focus on global engagement, quality enhancement, and student-centric learning is starting to bear fruit on the international stage,” said Jessica Turner, CEO of QS.
The ranking, compiled by global higher education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds, assesses 150 cities worldwide. This year’s edition signals a shift in the global education landscape, with Seoul overtaking London to be named the world’s best student city.
London, which held the number-one position for six consecutive years, fell to third place, largely due to a significant drop in the ‘Affordability’ indicator, where it slipped 11 places to rank 137th globally.
QS ranks cities with a population of at least 2,50,000 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 1,00,000 survey responses contributing to the ‘Desirability’ (prospective students) and ‘Student Voice’ (former students) indices. Each category carries equal weight.
