Research by Business Fibre (BF) has unveiled the top 10 cities worldwide for supporting aspiring technology professionals in their studies.
Analysing 34 of the world’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) capital cities, BF sought to uncover the globe’s most lucrative regions for today’s tech students. The index used a number of key metrics, including the number of universities offering technology and engineering programmes; total tech companies and employees in each city; monthly living costs; and the cities investing in the most tech-related research.
The world’s top 10 cities to be a tech student
- London, UK
- Berlin, Germany
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Bern, Switzerland
- Seoul, South Korea
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Paris, France
- Canberra, Australia
- Rome, Italy
- Tokyo, Japan
Top cities for tech-focused research
Delving into the research spend for each respective city, the study also shines a light on those that are most invested in technology research, calculated by looking at the percentage of the total GDP spent on research.
| Rank | City | Research Spend (% of total GDP) |
| 1 | Jerusalem, Israel | 4.8 |
| 2 | Seoul, Korea | 4.3 |
| 3 | Bern, Switzerland | 3.4 |
| 4 | Stockholm, Sweden | 3.4 |
| 5 | Tokyo, Japan | 3.2 |
| 6 | Berlin, Germany | 3.1 |
| 7 | Copenhagen, Denmark | 3.1 |
| 8 | Vienna, Austria | 3 |
| 9 | Helsinki, Finland | 2.7 |
| 10 | Brussels, Belgium | 2.7 |
Jerusalem came out top for research, ranking well across all metrics which contributed to its status as the third-best city for tech students. Seoul and Bern claimed second and third respectively in this category, further cementing their positions in the overall top 10.
Top 10 universities for tech-based studies
Here, BF evaluated metrics such as the total number of students, faculty staff and international students. This, paired with each institution’s global subject ranking for engineering and technology helped form the top 10 tech universities in the world.
| Rank | University | Worldwide ranking (Engineering and Tech 2020) | City |
| 1 | Imperial College London | 7 | London, UK |
| 2 | Technical University of Munich | 25 | Berlin, Germany |
| 3 | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology | 179 | Jerusalem, Israel |
| 4 | ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | 4 | Bern, Switzerland |
| 5 | Seoul National University | 22 | Seoul, Korea |
| 6 | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | 30 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 7 | Ecole Polytechnique | 57 | Paris, France |
| 8 | The Australian National University | 71 | Canberra, Australia |
| 9 | Sapienza University of Rome | 127 | Rome, Italy |
| 10 | The University of Tokyo | 21 | Tokyo, Japan |
“With technology arguably being the fastest-growing and most profitable industry in the world, we wanted to find the best cities in the world to be a tech student, as well as the top cities funding technology-related research,” said Ian Wright, managing director of BF’s parent company, Brilliant British LTD.
“It’s clear from the research that London, Berlin and Jerusalem are the best cities for students, while Seoul and Bern join Jerusalem at the top for investing in technology-related research.
“For those who don’t want to spend a ton of money on their education, Seoul National University is a great option that offers a lower living cost while still having a good global university ranking.”
Click here to view the full index.
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