London, May 9 (CNA) Taiwan has two cities in the top-100 list of the world's best cities for international students this year, with Taipei ranking as the 20th-best city to study and Hsinchu placed 73rd, according to an annual survey compiled a British company specializing in education and study abroad.
The two cities were also the only two in Taiwan to make the top-100 in the QS Best Student Cities Rankings last year, placed at 21st and 75th, respectively. The rankings were compiled by the U.K.-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) education network based on university rankings, student mix, employer activity, desirability, affordability, and student views.
Only cities with populations that exceed 250,000 and have at least two universities were included in the latest QS worldwide rankings. The results show London at the top of the list for the first time, up from third place last year, despite its low ranking in the affordability category at 113th, due to eye-watering cost of living in the city. Rounding out the top 10 are Tokyo, Melbourne, Montreal, Paris, Munich, Berlin, Zurich, Sydney and Seoul, in that order. Although the United States has plenty of top-ranked universities, no U.S. city achieves a top-10 ranking in the QS Best Student Cities list.
Only two U.S. cities made the top 30 list -- Boston at 13th and New York at 18th. Three Chinese cities also made the top 100 list, including Beijing (26th), Shanghai (29th) and Nanjing (88th). According to a QS analysis, Taiwan's universities have been steadily climbing to greater global prominence in recent years, establishing the country's capital as one of Asia's leading higher education hubs. Taipei is home to no less than eight universities ranked among the world's best in the QS World University Rankings 2018, led by National Taiwan University (NTU) at joint 76th in the world. "With relatively low tuition fees and living costs, Taipei also has one of the highest scores in the affordability category."
"Taipei also features at 20th in the Student View category of the index, showing that students are enjoying their experience of the city and are often keen to stay after graduation," according to the analysis. Hsinchu, the home of National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University -- both in the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings 2018 -- receives a very high score for affordability.
