In 2023, QS launched the pilot edition of its Sustainability Ranking. University of California Berkeley took the top spot, in a Top 10 comprised of institutions from Canada, Australia, the UK, the US, Japan and New Zealand. After gathering sector feedback, reviewing the impact of the metrics and the robustness of our data, our 2024 edition sees an evolved methodology, including a new governance category. It also sees the sample size of institutions evaluated significantly expanded, with double the number of institutions ranked vs. 2023, and 50% more institutions engaging with the data submission process.
This year sees UC Berkeley displaced from the top spot by University of Toronto. Joining the University of Edinburgh in the UK’s top 10 representation is Imperial College London. Lund University (Sweden) becomes the first EU institution in the Top 10. We must note, however, that a changed methodology, and a much larger sample size, make direct comparisons year-on-year ill-advisable.
By 2030, there are estimated to be 380 million students studying at universities around the world. If the higher education sector were a country, it would be the 3rd largest country in the world. UK institutions have a total staff and student headcount of approximately 2.3 million (HESA). Research by Universities UK estimates that Higher Education contributes approximately 130 billion to the UK economy, and supports 750,000 jobs. But with positive growth comes material impacts on both our environment and society. As Donella Meadows, a pivotal figure in systems thinking for sustainable development says, ‘All growth is not good. The environment is a necessity, not a luxury. There is such a thing as enough’ (Meadows et al., 2004).
