Kingston ranks as the best city in Canada to be a student

Kingston, Ont. has many qualities that make it great for anyone, but now it is claiming a new title – the top city to be a student in Canada, according to a new report. 

The study by finance company HelloSAFE looks at several categories, including quality of student life, academic excellence and cost of studying among its considerations for the ranking.

Fourth-year Queen’s University student Olivia Portelli is touring the Queen’s University campus with her cousin, trying to convince him that Kingston is the right place to study next year.

"I think Kingston is a great city to be a student for sure," Portelli says. "There’s a great balance of academic life and social life. I love Queen's campus, I love downtown Kingston."

The study compared four categories, which were divided into subcategories to rank 47 cities across Canada.

• Quality of life: Compared monthly cost for a rental studio apartment in the city centre, number of inhabitants, access to nature, its climate and air quality.
• Attractiveness: Compared the number of big cities within a 500-kilometre radius, accessibility by road, train or plane, the unemployment rate in January this year, and average household income in January this year.
• Quality of student life: Compared the number of students within the city, the proportion of students to total population, the number of bars and restaurants within a 10-kilometre radius, and its cultural offering.
• Academic excellence and cost of studying: Compared the number of universities within the city, the cost of fees for universities for the 2022-2023 year, and the academic ranking by "reputation" for the year 2023, a ranking it retrieved using Maclean's magazine.

In terms of quality of student life, the study finds Kingston has a high student population and offers, "a dynamic and varied study life". Within a short walking distance, there are access to plenty of downtown bars and restaurants.

"Going downtown is only a 15-minute walk," Portelli said. "So everything is really close. My classes are 10 minutes apart from each other."

So what made Kingston a stand-out place for students. Queen’s ranking as one of the top universities in Canada helped its case, and access to green spaces and the waterfront parks. 

"With nearly 17 per cent of students in the city and a diverse cultural and festive offer, Kingston offers a dynamic and varied student life," the HelloSAFE's website reads. "Similarly, with its temperate climate, its preserved environment and easy access to nature, Kingston offers a very healthy living environment for studying."

Access to trails along Lake Ontario is something Jose Ortiz says is a big factor for him.

"I love going by the water which is like a 10 minute walk from my house," he says. "It’s lovely, and you can see friends there."

However, Kingston has a reputation for student parties, with events like Homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day drawing thousands of people to the streets, which police have tried to control over the years. 

Out of a list of 47 cities, Montreal came in second, Vancouver placed third overall, while Toronto sits at 10^th and Ottawa 11^th on the list. 

As Portelli and her cousin Max Berger continue their tour, Kingston’s top student-life ranking means it could be ranking high on Berger's list too. 

"There’s so many people walking around," he says. "The buildings are so beautiful."

With files from Natasha O’Neill, CTV News