Australia’s #1 student city

Melbourne is proud to be ranked as Australia's 'best student city' by QS since 2015 and to be ranked number 5 in the world behind London, Tokyo, Seoul and Munich.  This ranking considers important factors such as affordability, desirability and the opinions of current students.  Melbourne ranks #2 globally for ‘Student View’ based on the ratings students give for friendliness, sustainability and diversity.  Melbourne ranks #5 in the world for ‘Desirability’, thanks to its low levels of pollution, its high levels of safety and how many students want to study here.

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Transcript

[Music, students playing cricket in a park, scenes across Melbourne city skyline]

Speaker 1: What if your student experience was more than just studying?

[On-screen text: Australia’s Most Liveable City]

What if you could live in Australia's most livable city? A home away from home, surrounded by a global community of students. [Scenes of Great Ocean Road coastline,  the Yarra River at Southbank, a beach picnic with students having fun, sharing food at a restaurant]

What if you could discover lifelong friendships and the world's friendliest city?

[Scenes of students hiking in forest, laneway coffee shops, On-screen text: Top Ranked University]

What if you could study at a top ranked university? [Scenes of robotic machine, MCG game,  crowds cheering, music event]

What if you could create memories that last a lifetime?

What if you could make lifelong industry connections and launch your global career? [Scenes of students working, collaborating and graduation ceremony]

You can have it all.

Only in Melbourne.

[Scenes of students driving, celebrating, taking selfies, scooting along the Yarra River in graduation gowns, on-screen text: Melbourne. Australia’s #1 Student City ranked #5 in the world (QS Best Student Cities 2025)]

2025 Best Student City in Australia and number five in the world.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne logo

[End transcript]

One of the world’s most liveable cities

Melbourne is not just Australia’s best student city, it is also ranked as Australia’s ‘most liveable’ city and #4 in the world’s behind Vienna, Copenhagen and Zurich. Across 5 broad categories, Melbourne scored a perfect 100/100 in Healthcare, Infrastructure and Education.

In terms of its infrastructure, Melbourne boasts a well-connected public transport network. Its education system is also renowned around Australia and globally for its world-class universities and research facilities. In fact, Victoria is known as the ‘Education State’ due to its commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and adult learners throughout the state.

A diverse and inclusive city

Melbourne is one of the most culturally and socially diverse communities in Australia. Over 40% of its residents were born overseas. Melbourne is also extremely linguistically diverse. Approximately 39% of people here speak a language other than English, the most common including Mandarin, Vietnamese, Greek, Punjabi and Arabic.

With so many communities calling the Melbourne home, you can immerse yourself in a wide range of different cultures, including the traditional Aboriginal inhabitants of the land as well as migrants from regions like Africa, Asia and Europe.  Melbourne's diversity also means you'll be able find cuisines from around the world throughout the city, from dumplings to moussaka to chicken tikka masala and so much more.

Melbourne's diversity and inclusivity extends beyond culture. All international students can be proud and live their life to the fullest.  This includes women, the diverse LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, intersex, and queer) communities, people of colour, and all faiths, people with disability, and those from a broad spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds.

View transcript

Favala: Hi, everyone. My name is Favala, and today I just did a coffee tour.

I registered for this coffee tour to learn about the Melbourne coffee culture.

We also find new friends by joining this coffee tour.

So if you're new or you're not, please join us and I'll see you around. Bye.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]

A welcoming city with dedicated support services

Every year, Melbourne welcomes over 230,000 international students from around the globe. To make the transition of moving and settling in to a new country as easy as possible, Study Melbourne offers a suite of tailored support services, student programs, events and a dedicated Hub in the centre of Melbourne. The Study Melbourne Hub is a welcoming space for tertiary international students living in Victoria to study, attend events, access support and meet other students. The Hub team can provide advice about settling in, working here and renting accommodation and offers resources for coping with feelings of homesickness, learning how to make friends and budgeting.

Melbourne – Australia’s culture, arts and sporting capital

From the Formula One Grand Prix, the Boxing Day Test and Australian Open to music festivals, exhibitions and cultural experiences, there's an unforgettable time to be had in Melbourne, whatever your interests.

See when more than 370 international students received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, with tickets from Study Melbourne.

View transcript

[Upbeat music, sports stadium in background, cricket match scenes throughout]

[Speaker: Sunny] Hi everyone my name is Sarbjeet Singh, I'm one of those lucky students who were offered to be a flag bearer here for the T20 World Cup game in Kardinia Park, Geelong. [Perfect day for it text on screen]

The moment when I was offered this opportunity by study Melbourne I got really excited because Cricket has always had a special place in my heart. [Check out the crowd, text on screen on image of crowded stadium stands, flags flying]

When I stepped on the field with the flags I was actually standing next to the players and there were like thousands of people looking right at me and the experience was so great. [Scenes of cultural music and dance, crowds outside the stadium, the energy was unmatched text on screen]

Thank you so much study Melbourne and Study Geelong for everything that you have been doing.

[Music, Study Melbourne logo on screen]

Some of Melbourne's biggest music festivals include include St Jerome's Laneway, Golden Plains, A day on the greenMelbourne International Jazz Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, and Meredith.

If you're more of a film buff, don't miss Australia’s biggest film festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival. If comedy is more your style, don’t miss the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to see the world’s best comedy acts.

Melbourne proudly holds the title of Australia's #1 city for arts and culture! It has firmly secured this position by claiming the tenth spot globally in Time Out's most recent rankings for cultural experiences.

Visit the National Gallery of Victoria or the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art to see art from around the world, or for a more leisurely arts experience, take a walk through Melbourne's world-famous laneways and enjoy the street art and unique vibe. Melbourne is also home to many Aboriginal art galleries which showcase the diverse cultures and rich history of Australia’s First Peoples. In galleries such as the Koorie Heritage Trust and the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia you can view Aboriginal artwork and cultural artefacts.

For a full list of what is happening in and around Melbourne visit City of Melbourne's What's On and Visit Victoria's What's On sites.

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