Prague is crowned the best student city in all of Europe

Prague is the best student city in Europe, according to a new, comprehensive ranking from higher-education consultative organization Campus Advisor released today. The study included variables such as nightlife, safety, cost of living, academic environment, and public transport, among others.

The study assessed 50 European student cities, which Prague impressively all topped with a total score of 87.3 (out of 100). Czechia’s second-largest city Brno also performed strongly, coming 13th overall.

As well as the aforementioned categories, the study also assessed: student friendliness, cultural diversity, and nearby amenities. Campus Advisor calculated scores by asking the personal opinions of “students with firsthand experience of living and studying in these cities,” Campus Advisor founder Brian Moran told Expats.cz. The Czech capital performed strongly in almost all seven categories.

Nightlife was Prague’s best category. Out of all 50 cities, the Czech capital ranked second, coming second only to the northern English city of Newcastle. 

Amenities – the availability and accessibility of local shops, parks, museums, restaurants, cafes, and so on – was a particularly strong grouping for Prague. It came fourth overall, beating other compact and busy cities, such as Paris and Budapest.

Prague also did particularly well in the public-transport category, coming in fifth place with a score of 87.5. Interestingly, it beat Berlin, which in a study by lifestyle magazine Time Out in 2023 pipped Prague to first place in its own EU public transport rankings.

Safety – which many associate Prague with – was also one of the city’s strong points in the Campus Advisor rankings. The Czech capital came sixth in the standings, beating the likes of Vienna, Copenhagen, and Vilnius. A separate safety index updated this year, however, saw Czechia as a whole fall out of Europe’s top-10 safest countries, almost definitely due to the tragic Charles University shooting of December 2023.

In the student friendliness category, Prague also did soundly, again coming sixth. Strikingly, Czechia’s second-largest city, Brno, beat Prague in this category, coming in fifth position. 

Prague, which is home to around 45 public and private universities, came 12th in the academic environment category, beating the Irish capital of Dublin and the British major city of Manchester, which is home to the prestigious Manchester University. 

Prague didn’t perform quite as well in the cost of living category. Although its overall ranking of 16th put it in the top third, the likes of nearby Krakow, Budapest, and Warsaw all came out cheaper for students than Prague. 

Even Brno outperformed the Czech capital, making the top 10 cheapest cities in Europe. If you’re wondering what the cheapest city for students on the continent is according to Campus Advisor, it’s the Hungarian city of Pecs.

Lastly, Prague’s worst-performing category was in cultural diversity. The Czech capital ranked 19th overall. Although making the top half, its diversity pales in comparison to London, Amsterdam, or Berlin – all of which made the top five in the rankings. 

This is not the first time Prague has performed strongly in such student-city-related rankings. In 2022, the Campus Advisor ranked the Czech capital as the seventh-best student city overall.

According to a separate, StudentGoGlobal (an education-advisory company) 2022 ranking, which analyzed 250 cities, Prague was the second-most affordable city in Europe for students.