Lethbridge is ranked in the middle of pack for HelloSafe's Best Canadian Student Cities in 2023 list, March 21, 2023. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge named third best Canadian city for quality of life for students

Mar 21, 2023 | 9:48 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A new national ranking of Canadian cities with post-secondary schools has Lethbridge ranked in a variety of different places.

HelloSafe has released its ranking of The Best Canadian Student Cities in 2023.

A total of 47 communities were analyzed with data compiled into four catagories: quality of life, attractiveness, quality of student life, and academic excellence and cost of studying.

Overall, Lethbridge was named the 24th best city for students in the country, an improvement of two spots compared to the most recent list in 2021.

Among the seven included prairie communities, Lethbridge was in the middle of the road at fourth place. Calgary topped the list, followed by Edmonton and Winnipeg.

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Lethbridge fared the best in the quality of life category, ranking as the third best in the country behind Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

The criteria for quality of life includes housing accessibility and affordability, air quality, access to nature, and average temperatures.

The city came in at 23rd place for academic excellence and cost of studying, which takes into account factors such as the number of universities within the city, post-secondary fees, and the institution’s academic ranking by reputation, according to the 2023 Maclean’s Ranking by Reputation list.

The 24th spot on the attractiveness went to Lethbridge. It looks at the number of large nearby cities, unemployment rate, average household income, and accessibility by road, train, or plane.

Lethbridge did the worst in the student life category, coming in at 42nd place. This category analyzes the number of students within the city compared to the overall population, the number of bars and restaurants within a 10 kilometre distance, and the number of nearby “cultural offerings” such as museums, cinemas, and events.

The full report can be accessed on the HelloSafe website.

READ MORE: University of Lethbridge named one of Canada’s top research universities

READ MORE: Lethbridge College rises in ranking of Canada’s top research colleges

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