Places with more students living there are more likely to be equipped with goods, services and facilities that students need

TAFE NSW students can rest assured that they're probably living in the best state for their studies.

Last month, the QS Best Student Cities index for 2013/14 was released. The index ranks 98 major cities from all over the world according to how "student-friendly" they are. Our state capital scored extremely well, coming in 4th place, being pipped by only Paris, London and Singapore.

And while the rankings are technically regarding university students, TAFE NSW is considered a tertiary education provider, clearly placing it in the same category as university. And we all know that the needs and desires of students are pretty much the same anyway, regardless of the type of institution – basics like affordable accommodation and transport, employment opportunities, wicked nightlife and access to unlimited supplies of 2-minute noodles.

And for those thousands of TAFE students who are living and studying outside of Sydney, this party's still for everyone. Many of the things that make Sydney shine also make New South Wales shine. Sydney is the gateway to lots of regional fabulousness that doesn't recognise postcode or local government boundaries.

So what factors exactly did this study take into account when assessing a city's student-friendliness? Low tuition costs were a biggie – and obviously this is something that applies even more to TAFE than it does to universities. Well, for locals anyway.

Another important factor was quality of life, and this was another one that really helped to push Sydney up the ladder. To quote the index itself;

[quote]"Sydney gains almost top marks for Quality of Living and scores highly in all other categories except Affordability".[/quote]

Curse those exorbitant Sydney rents! And bravo to all our more affordable regional areas.

There was also what the index refers to as Student Mix, which is the student population as a proportion of the city's overall population. The higher the percentage, the better – as places with more students living there are more likely to be equipped with goods, services and facilities that students need (like large supplies of those aforementioned 2-minutes noodles).

But maybe this student-friendliness is actually more of an Australian thing, than a Sydney or New South Wales thing. After all, with Melbourne ranking at number five, just one place after Sydney, Australia was the only country with more than one city in the top 10. All in all, six Aussie cities made it into the top 50. Which says a lot about what a great place this can be if you're a student.