- The magazine “L’Étudiant” revealed the 21st edition of the ranking of the best student cities.
- The Pink City retains its 1st place for the second consecutive year.
- The Grand-Ouest dominates the 2026 ranking with five cities in the top 10.
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Training, culture, air quality, job offers… L’estudiant
(nouvelle fenêtre) examined 50 French cities welcoming at least 7,500 students. For the 21st edition of the ranking of the best student cities, the media analyzed ten criteria, including a new one which concerns disability accessibility. It also adopted an overhaul of the calculation of air quality based on the recommendations of the French environmental organization Atmo, while refining the calculations of the cultural and training offer of each city.
“Our ranking allows students to compare cities according to different aspects of the living environment, such as culture, health or the environment, but also according to the training offer and economic and local dynamism”
comments Thibaut Cojean, editor-in-chief of Let them study
in a press release released this Wednesday, May 27.
Toulouse ranked best student city for the second consecutive year
Among all these rating criteria, it is the Pink City that stands out. For the second year in a row, Toulouse retains its first place with a score of 78 out of 103. “It stands out in particular for its cultural offering and its local initiatives”
report to our colleagues. The chocolate capital has 11.56% student share. The average price of a student subscription to the transport network is 162 euros and the average monthly rent for a studio is 539 euros.
The top 3 is completed by Rennes (77.5 points), which stands out on the criteria of health and training offers, and Montpellier (74.5 points), whose strength lies in free transport for students. Caen (73 points) and Nantes (72.5 points) close the top 5. Note that the West dominates the ranking with five cities in the top 10 which also includes Brest, Angers and Bordeaux which have all gained places compared to last year.
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The top of the best student cities in 2026
1. Toulouse
2. Rennes
3. Montpellier
4. Caen
5. Nantes
6. equally Brest
6. ex-aequo. Lyon
8. ex-aequo. Angers
8. equally Dijon
10. Bordeaux
11. Strasbourg
12. equally Besançon
12. equally Lille
14. Grenoble
15. equally Clermont-Ferrand
15. ex-aequo. Nancy
17. Reims
18. Poitiers
19. Amiens
19. ex-aequo. Marseille – Aix-en-Provence
19. Paris
