Taipei: Taipei ranked 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest placement to date, according to results released Tuesday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019.

According to Focus Taiwan, a QS staff writer described Taipei as "one of Asia's leading higher education hubs," noting its strong employer activity scores and the positive experiences reported by students, who are often keen to stay in the city after graduation.

In addition to Taipei, other Taiwanese cities such as Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th), and Taoyuan (130th) also appeared on QS's list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the biggest gain, rising 13 places, while Taoyuan was the only city to fall in the rankings.

Among the 39 Asian cities ranked, Taipei placed sixth, following Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing.

Globally, the top ten student cities were Seoul, Tokyo, London, Munich, Melbourne, Sydney, Berlin and Paris (tied in seventh), Zurich, and Vienna.

According to QS's official website, to be considered for the ranking, each city must have a population of over 250,000 and be home to at least two universities listed in the most recent QS World University Rankings. The cities were ranked based on indicators grouped into six key categories: university rankings, student mix, desirability, employer activity, affordability, and student view.