Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released the 5th edition of its already famous ranking

Montreal, the French speaking Canadian city located in Quebec, overthrew Paris from the 1^st place; the city of lights had led the ranking during the four first editions of the ranking. Paris went number 2^nd in a top ten that does not include any Latin American or Spanish speaking city (a feature that extends to the top 20, as Barcelona is number 23). It is followed by London (England), Seoul (South Korea), Melbourne (Australia), Berlin (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), Boston (United States), Munich (Germany), and Vancouver (Canada).

Latin American cities fall far behind, and the best placed city is Buenos Aires (42).

The ranking QS 2017 only considers eight cities of our region for the analysis. Following Buenos Aires are Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo (Brazil), Bogota (Colombia), Monterrey (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Lima (Peru). The Peruvian capital is number 99, only ahead of the Chinese city of Wuhan.

QS Ranking considers different variables for the analysis, such as the prestige of the university institutions, cultural attractions, the city’s internationalization, and conveniences for foreigners, among others. In addition, it evaluates the level of desirability of every destination, including future labour opportunities, healthcare and pollution. Furthermore, it includes living expenses, accommodation and transportation, as interesting cities can be adapted to the student’s budget.

To be included in the list, cities must at least have a population of 250 thousand inhabitants, and have at least two universities that belong to the QS World Universities Raking. This year, QS added an indicator to the ranking that considers the students opinion.