Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
QS names Seoul world's best student city for 2nd year
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By Jung Da-hyun
5 Korean cities make global ranking as int'l appeal extends beyond capital
Seoul has been named the world’s best student city for the second consecutive year, earning the only perfect score in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 rankings.
Korea also strengthened its global presence, with five cities making it onto the list, including first-time entrants Daejeon and Gwangju.
With a perfect score of 100, Seoul finished ahead of Tokyo at 98 and London at 97.3, according to QS on Tuesday. The top three remained unchanged from last year, cementing Seoul's position as a leading global higher education hub.
Released annually by global higher education consultancy QS, the ranking assesses 150 cities on the strength of their universities, graduate employment prospects, affordability, student diversity, quality of life and feedback from students. Cities must have a population of more than 250,000 and be home to at least two institutions listed in the QS World University Rankings 2027 to be included.
The United Kingdom had the strongest representation, with 16 cities in the ranking, followed by the United States with 14, mainland China with 10 and Australia with seven. Korea and Taiwan tied for fifth, with five cities each.
With five cities represented, Korea was among the strongest-performing countries in this year's ranking. Seoul took the top spot, while Daejeon and Gwangju made their debuts at 67th and 144th, respectively. Busan ranked 120th, down by three places, and Daegu 132nd, dropping one place from last year.
Seoul’s performance was driven primarily by the strength of its universities. It ranked first globally in the University Rankings category, which measures the number and quality of institutions, with 23 universities featured in the QS World University Rankings 2027.
The city also ranked second globally for the Employer Activity index, behind Tokyo, reflecting graduate demand among employers, and 10th for desirability, a measure of how attractive the city is to students, underscoring Seoul's strong employment prospects and global appeal.
Beyond Seoul, Korea's regional cities also demonstrated growing competitiveness.
Daejeon made a strong debut, buoyed by high scores for employer activity and affordability. Home to the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, commonly known as KAIST, and Chungnam National University, the city underscored the growing strength of Korea's regional university hubs. Every Korean city outside Seoul also ranked among the world's top 45 for affordability, suggesting international students have attractive alternatives beyond the capital.
However, Seoul and other Korean cities in the ranking lagged in affordability, student diversity and student experience — categories that reflect living costs and tuition, the international composition of the student population and students' overall perceptions of life in the city.
Ben Sowter, senior vice president at QS, said Seoul's second consecutive top finish reflected years of sustained investment in higher education, rather than a short-term achievement.
"To top a field of 150 cities once is an achievement. To do it twice in succession, and with a perfect score, speaks to something durable," he said. "The emergence of cities like Daejeon and Gwangju suggests Korea is building multiple centers of higher education excellence rather than relying on Seoul alone."
QS highlighted that the results show Korea's growing competitiveness in global higher education, driven by sustained investment in universities, strong employer engagement and rising internationalization. With regional cities also gaining recognition, Korea's appeal as a study destination is increasingly extending outside the capital.