London, Feb. 14 (CNA) Taipei is the 34th-best city to study in the world, according to a ranking released by the United Kingdom-based QS education network Tuesday.

The Best Student Cities ranking is topped by Paris, followed by London, Boston, Melbourne, Vienna, Sydney, Zurich, Berlin, Dublin and Montreal, in that order.

Rounding out the top 20 are Barcelona, Singapore, Munich, Lyon, Chicago, Madrid, San Francisco, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

The two Chinese cities that make the top 50 are Beijing and Shanghai, at 28th and 39th, respectively.

The cities were measured using 12 indicators that take into account the quality and number of internationally ranked universities as well as factors such as quality of living, affordability, and the popularity of various universities among employers.

Danny Bryne, a senior editor at QS, told CNA that the existence of many excellently rated universities in Taipei contributed greatly to the city's good performance in the ranking.

Other favorable factors were the city's affordable cost of living and tuition, Bryne said.

He explained that Paris was rated the world's best city for students mainly because it is home to a large number of prestigious universities when its cost of living and tuition are relatively lower.

On average, international students in Paris spend US$1,000 per year less on tuition than those in London and Boston, he said.

(By Jennifer Huang and Y.F. Low)
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