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Summary

Montreal was just ranked among the best cities in the world for students

Only 5 Canadian spots made the cut.

The McGill University main building during the summer with several people walking by.

The McGill University main building.

Assistant Editor

Montreal is a city renowned for many things including great food, a stellar festival scene, top tier nightlife and now, student friendly can be added to the list.

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a higher education analytics firm based in the United Kingdom, dropped its Best Student Cities of 2025 ranking and Montreal made the cut.

Now in its 12th year, the Best Student Cities rankings compare 150 study destinations in indicators important to international students — student feedback, university ranking, affordability, employment opportunities, and diversity, QS said.

London ranked first, thanks to its roster of world-class universities, diverse student population, exceptional career opportunity and outstanding feedback from current and former students, QS indicated.

Tokyo, Seoul, Munich, and Melbourne all made up the remainder of the top five.

But how did Montreal perform?

Montreal not only appeared on the list, but the city managed to ranked 10th overall. Considering Montreal is home to countless universities including Concordia, UdeM, UQAM and McGill University, which has topped past QS university rankings, it's no surprise that it made the top 10.

However, with ongoing tuition hikes and Quebec language laws affecting foreign students, Montreal's placement could fall outside the top 10 in future rankings.

Toronto ranked 11th, trailing behind Montreal by just one spot. Vancouver also made the cut, landing in the top 20 at number 19.

Ottawa (57) and Quebec City (128) were the only remaining Canadian schools to make the list.

Wondering which other global cities made the cut? Here's the complete top 15 of the best cities in the world for student, per QS:

  1. London
  2. Tokyo
  3. Seoul
  4. Munich
  5. Melbourne
  6. Sydney
  7. Paris
  8. Zurich
  9. Berlin
  10. Montreal
  11. Toronto
  12. Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
  13. Edinburgh
  14. Vienna
  15. Singapore
For the entire QS Best Student Cities 2025 ranking, visit here.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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    • Assistant Editor

      Mike Chaar was an assistant editor & writer for MTL Blog. You might recognize him from bylines in Men's Health, FanSided, Contiki, and ScreenRant, to name a few. Mike's work has also appeared on the 'Real Housewives' and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' When Mike isn't typing away, you can find him at his fave sushi spot, listening to one of Mariah Carey's 19 number-one hits or creating content.

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