Hong Kong boasts 'Best Student City in Asia' title

(ECNS) -- Hong Kong has been named the best Asian city in which to study and the fifth best in the world, according to the 2015 QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Best Student Cities list.

The city climbed two places compared to last year's QS survey, while Paris topped the list of "World's Best Student Cities" for the third year running.

The French capital is followed by Melbourne, London, and New York. Beijing and Shanghai rank 26th and 32nd respectively. Singapore dropped sharply from 3rd place last year to 15th.

Results are based on five key pillars that include university rankings, student mix, quality of living, employer activity and affordability. To be included in the ranking, each city must have a population of over 250,000 and be home to at least two institutions in the QS World University Rankings.

Hong Kong has received much praise from graduate employers. However, living costs are relatively high and rent is extraordinarily expensive. Despite these disadvantages, the city still jumped a few spots thanks to new indicators such as social safety, pollution index, and government integrity.