Unlike London and Boston, Paris does not have a global top-30 university, so it may come as a surprise that it ranks as the world’s top city for international students. But consider this: Paris has 16 institutions in the QS World University Rankings, comfortably more than any other city on the planet.

Studying in Paris is quite cheap

International tuition fees are a fraction of those in the UK, Australia and North America; situated in the heart of Europe, and Parisian graduates are targeted by a vast range of employers throughout the continent. Perhaps most importantly for students, all of this takes place in one of the most historic, culturally vital and beautiful cities imaginable. There are many reasons why Paris is the most visited city in the world.

The city of art and writers

Elite Parisian universities such as ENS Paris, Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po and the Sorbonne have produced some of the most important philosophers, theorists, scientists, and mathematicians of the last 100 years, not to mention seminal movements in literature, film and art.

Students in Paris often enjoy extensive access to leading academics, with small class sizes and intensive teaching belying the universities’ low tuition fees. Paris is frequently rated as one of the most liveable cities in Europe, and it scores highly in the quality of living indicator.

Studying is cheap, but not living

Perhaps the only real drawback for students is that socializing in Paris can be a costly affair – but then it’s also a city that excels in the things that come for free.

QS ranked universities:

ENS Paris ; Ecole Polytechnique ParisTech ; Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) ; Sciences Po Paris ; Université Paris-Sorbonne (ParisIV) ; Université Paris-Sud II ; Université Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne ; Université Paris Diderot – Paris 7 ; École des Ponts