Kaunas Named One of the Most Attractive Cities for Students

In QS Best Student Cities 2026, the latest global ranking of the best cities for students published on July 15th,  Kaunas was ranked 142nd, placing it among the top 150 most attractive locations for students worldwide. The city’s largest university by student population, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), continues to hold the title of the most international and broadest-scope university in Lithuania.

The QS Best Student Cities ranking, which highlights the best places to live and study around the world, takes into account factors such as affordability (including tuition fees and overall cost of living), desirability in terms of environment and safety, the proportion of students in the city’s population, reputation for inclusivity and tolerance, available employment opportunities, and feedback from students who have lived and studied there. The main goal of this ranking is to show which cities around the world are best suited to meet students’ needs.

In last year’s QS Best Student Cities ranking, Kaunas placed 147th with a score of 44.4 out of 100. This year, the score increased to 49.5. Looking at individual indicators, Kaunas received 55.3 points in desirability, 46.7 in affordability, and 50.2 in the student views category.

This year’s top five most attractive cities for students are: Seoul (South Korea, 100 points), Tokyo (Japan, 99.9 points), London (United Kingdom, 97.1 points), Munich (Germany, 96.3 points), and Melbourne (Australia, 95.7 points).

VMU Is the Most International University in Lithuania

According to the QS World University Rankings published in June 2025, VMU stands out nationwide for both diversity and number of international students, ranking 244th and 270th globally in these categories, respectively.

Among all Lithuanian universities included in the rankings, VMU holds the highest position for the number of international faculty members, ranking 455th in the world.

This year, VMU climbed nearly 50 positions in the International Research Network category, reaching 653rd place.

In 2024, VMU became the largest university in Kaunas by the number of students. In the previous academic year, over 1,300 first-year students chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree at VMU, and more than 1,200 students enrolled in master’s programs. Among them were as many as 400 international students.