These Are The Best Cities In The United States For University Students, 2018 Ranking

Despite eye-wateringly expensive costs, Boston is the best city in the United States for university students, according to experts at QS. A high concentration of world-class universities and colleges such as MIT, Boston College; Northeastern, Tufts, and Harvard also play a part in making the city attractive to students.

Predictably, New York ranked number two in the United States (18th internationally), followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.

The ranking is based on six factors including the local jobs market, the student culture, and academic performance. The survey asked 6,000 university students about the quality of experience in a city and whether they would stay there after graduating.

These are the best cities in the United States for university students:

1. Boston
Global rank: 13
Desirability rank: 17th
Employer Activity rank: 2nd
Affordability rank: 127th
Student View rank: 18th
Top universities in Boston: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Harvard University; Boston University; Tufts University; Boston College; Northeastern University; Brandeis University; University of Massachusetts – Boston.

2. New York
Global rank: 18
Desirability rank: 19th
Employer Activity rank: 21st
Affordability rank: 135th
Student View rank: 11th
Top universities In New York: Columbia University; New York University (NYU); Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick; Yeshiva University; University of Delaware; City University of New York; New School University; Stevens Institute of Technology; Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, Newark; Fordham University.

3. Los Angeles
Global rank: 35
Desirability rank: 24th
Employer Activity rank: 25th
Affordability rank: 130th
Student View rank: 51st
Top universities in Los Angeles: California Institute of Technology (Caltech); University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); University of Southern California

4. San Francisco
Global rank: 38
Desirability rank: 31st
Employer Activity rank: 15th
Affordability rank: 135th
Student View rank: 61st
Top universities in San Francisco: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley (UCB); University of San Francisco; University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

5. Chicago
Global rank: 40
Desirability rank: 27th
Employer Activity rank: 30th
Affordability rank: 131st
Student View rank: 63rd
Top universities in Chicago: University of Chicago; Northwestern University; University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC); Illinois Institute of Technology; Loyola University Chicago

6. Philadelphia
Global rank: 58
Desirability rank: 53rd
Employer Activity rank: 37th
Affordability rank: 134th
Student View rank: 77th
Top universities in Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; Drexel University; Temple University.

7. Washington DC
Global rank: 60
Desirability rank: 30th
Employer Activity rank: 86th
Affordability rank: 127th
Student View rank: 57th
Top universities in Washington DC: University of Maryland, College Park; Georgetown University; George Washington University; American University; Howard University

8. Atlanta
Global rank: 62
Desirability rank: 58th
Employer Activity rank: 56th
Affordability rank: 117th
Student View rank: 65th
Top universities in Atlanta: Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech); Emory University; Georgia State University

9. Pittsburgh
Global rank: 68
Desirability rank: 73rd
Employer Activity rank: 57th
Affordability rank: 108th
Student View rank: 103rd
Top universities in Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University; University of Pittsburgh

10. San Diego
Global rank: 80
Desirability rank: 44th
Employer Activity rank: 125th
Affordability rank: 111th
Student View rank: 81st
Top universities in San Diego: University of California, San Diego (UCSD); San Diego State University; University of San Diego

11. Baltimore
Global rank: 90
Desirability rank: 67th
Employer Activity rank: 72nd
Affordability rank: 124th
Student View rank: 129th
Top universities in Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University; University of Maryland, Baltimore County

12. Houston
Global rank: 97
Desirability rank: 64th
Employer Activity rank: 97th
Affordability rank: 118th
Student View rank: 105th
Top universities in Houston: Rice University; University of Houston; Baylor College of Medicine

13. Miami
Global rank: 100
Desirability rank: 40th
Employer Activity rank: 90th
Affordability rank: 131st
Student View rank: 100th
Top universities in Miami: University of Miami; Florida International University