The top 10 European cities, according to what students want

01 Oct 2018

What makes a European city great for students?

Think-tank Class of 2020 attempts to answer this question with its Best Student City ranking. To dive into the motivations behind Erasmus and other mobile student strategies across the continent, it used 35 indicators divided into six categories of what it describes as “a fundamental characteristic of the best student city”.

Specific rankings and recognised international datasets are used for each indicator and each city’s size and population are considered before normalizing the results and giving them a weight.

Guess which European city this is (Ranked third in The Class of 2020’s ranking) Source: AFP/Patricis De Melo Moreira

Here are the six indicators used and the top 10 European cities for them:

1. Student experience

London
Zurich
Paris
Berlin
Munich
Leuven
Lyon
Stuttgart
Vienna
Porto

2. City Life

Amsterdam
Paris
Lyon
Barcelona
Lisbon
London
Florence
Zurich
Porto
Antwerp

3. Affordability

Porto
Ljubljana
Warsaw
Lisbon
Sevilla
Leuven
Vienna
Valencia
Stuttgart
Berlin

4. Social inclusiveness

Amsterdam
Leuven
Lisbon
Munich
Vienna
Stuttgart
Berlin
Antwerp
Sevilla
London

5. City environment

Munich
Sevilla
Lisbon
Amsterdam
Valencia
Lyon
Berlin
Zurich
Vienna
Florence

6. Connectivity

Antwerp
Munich
Toulouse
Lyon
Berlin
Paris
Valencia
Amsterdam
Warsaw
London

Berlin is the overall winner out of 44 university-cities.

“Berlin has it all: strong universities with minimal tuition, affordable living, a socially open city and lots of fun,” the think-tank wrote.

Stefan Franzke, CEO of Berlin Partner said: “Berlin’s universities are particularly popular with Erasmus students. English language courses, international flair, tolerance, entrepreneurial spirit – everything attracts young people. We are happy and proud that Berlin’s academic landscape is now one with distinction.”

Germany, as a whole, performed impressively in the ranking, with three cities in the top 20 and two cities in the top three. Munich comes in second place, thanks to its “unbeatable city environment and an open-minded society”. Third place goes to Portugal’s Lisbon, which scores well on Affordability and Social Inclusiveness.