Recently published university rankings show that Barcelona offers one of the world’s most appealing environments to live in and study in the world. According to QS, Barcelona ranks as Europe’s No. 8 top city for students, after having climbed three places compared to 2016. In fact, it is also the second-best ranked city in southern Europe. This might be explained by Barcelona’s relatively low living costs compared to other major European cities such as Paris or London, as well as its affordable university tuition fees. Moreover, Barcelona ranks No. 7 in the world in a recent analysis by Times Higher Education which reveals where the world’s best colleges congregate.

Barcelona has also improved its relative position in the world in the QS Best Student Cities 2017 ranking. The city has moved up by seven places compared to 2016, now scoring as the 23rd top student city in the world. In Spain, Barcelona has climbed one place, overtaking Madrid as the top destination for higher education studies. In order to establish this ranking, five different factors, such as student mix, desirability, university rankings, affordability, and employer activity were taken into account. There is no surprise that Barcelona, one of the most popular and visited city in the world, scores the best in desirability. With its incredibly rich cultural and artistic legacy, its pleasant climate and its delightful cuisine, Barcelona has indeed a lot to offer to its students.