Austin Is The Best College City In America: Report

AUSTIN, TX — Austin is the best college city in America, according to a new report.

Analysts at WalletHub set out to find the best cities in the nation for college availability against a backdrop of rising living costs — reaching $27,000 per student in a 12-month period, according to the report. The culmination of researchers' study is the Best & Worst College Towns & Cities in America report for 2020.

WalletHub compared more than 400 U.S. cities — also grouped by city size — based on 31 key indicators of academic, social and economic growth potential. The data set ranges from cost of living to quality of higher education to crime rate.

The upshot: Austin is the nation's top college city in the nation among large municipalities, according to researchers. Below are some key rankings among the study's various criteria:

Student-Friendliness of Austin (1=Best; 208=Avg.)

• 22nd – Quality of Higher Education
• 136th – Cost of Higher Education
• 1st – Nightlife Options per Capita
• 43rd – Brain Drain
• 187th – City Accessibility
• 116th – % of Rental Units
• 183rd – Students per Capita

To read the full report, click here. Also of interest is WalletHub's follow-up on its College & University Rankings.