Students at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and Algonquin College are in luck—they are studying in the best student city in the world, according to students.
QS World University Rankings released its annual list of “Best Student Cities,” which placed Montreal at the top of the list as the best city to study in the world, based on categories including desirability and livability, affordability, and proportion of students.
But a new “student view” category allowed students to rank the top 10 cities to study in the world, with Ottawa coming in first place. More than 18,000 students and graduates ranked their cities based on a variety of categories, including nightlife, tolerance and inclusion, and employment opportunities.
In the QS World University ranking, Ottawa came in 26th place—climbing nearly 20 spots from 49th in last year’s index. Vancouver and Toronto placed 10th and 11th respectively.
Dasha Karzunina, an international education specialist with QS who analyzed the list’s data, said QS is best known for ranking universities worldwide.
She said Canadian cities placed well in the rankings this year likely due to political factors that have encouraged international students to change their minds about where they study.
“When we added [the student view] element, we noticed that cities like Paris and London were dropping because they’re so large and so busy that often they’re not very personable,” Karzunina said. “But in Canada that doesn’t seem to be a problem, so that’s something to be proud of.”
Jacob Dallaire, a third-year bioinformatics student at Carleton who began his studies in the public affairs and policy management program, said he was drawn to Ottawa’s “capital advantage.”
“I considered going to other universities . . . [but] they don’t have the access to public resources that we do here in Ottawa,” Dallaire said. “Even as a science student now, I’ve got access to a lot of ministries, and I can get in touch with multiple adjunct professors that work out of Environment Canada, [Statistics Canada], and such.”
“We’ve got quite a large student population here and there’s still a small town appeal, and the housing prices aren’t out of control like Toronto, which is good for students,” he added.
But Dallaire said whether or not he plans to stay in Ottawa after graduation depends on where the jobs are.
Firas Sabra, a first-year economics student from Lebanon, said he chose to study in Ottawa because capital cities tend to be safer, with a good image and low crime rates.
“Ironically, I chose Carleton based on QS [rankings],” he said.
Sabra said he doesn’t agree with how low Ottawa is ranked on the overall Best Student Cities list in the official rankings.
“International students should be thinking about safety . . . what feels like home, and [Ottawa] is fairly cheap compared to other cities in Ontario,” Sabra said.
But Karzunina said Ottawa’s rise in the overall rankings shows the positive experiences students have studying in the capital of Canada.
“I think what’s quite special about Ottawa [is that] it still manages to create certain communities for students so that students can actually have a good experience, which is often quite challenging for big cities.”
– File photo
