Calgary and Edmonton have surpassed Toronto when it comes to the top ten living destinations for students.
This is according to the personal and finance service provider HelloSafe, which published it’s Best Cities For Students In Canada: The Definitive 2023 Ranking this week.
Cities were ranked based on 18 criteria including academic excellence, student life, quality of life and attractiveness, according to the company.
Calgary and Edmonton took fifth and sixth place respectively, beating out Quebec City, St. John’s, Hamilton and Toronto.
In first place was Kingston, Ontario which is the home of Queen’s University Canada. HelloSafe awarded the top spot to Kingston due to the “excellence of its university,” diversity and temperate climate.
“If the city does not particularly shine in one or another category, it presents an overall balance that allows it to rank well everywhere, whether in terms of academic excellence, student life, living environment or attractiveness,” said HelloSafe editor-in-chief Alexandre Desoutter.
“We can also underline the good places of Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec City, which show that the Belle Province is more than ever a privileged destination for Canadian and international students.”
Kingston was followed by Montreal and Vancouver which scored in second and third. Both Vancouver and Kingston saw increases in their ranking when compared to 2021.
While ranking, HelloSafe in part used Maclean’s university ranking list, citing it as a “very important criterion.”
“The tuition fees charged and the diversity of the academic offer proposed by the cities are also taken into account,” wrote Hello Safe.
