Dear Colleagues,
Just when we thought we had seen the launch of the last major ranking in 2022, the QS has supplemented its main University ranking by releasing a major new QS Sustainability Ranking this week. It is pleasing to be able to report that the University of Aberdeen has performed very strongly, achieving a rank of 64th in the world and 17th in the UK.
This new ranking covers two main areas: Environmental Impact and Social Impact. We are ranked 34th in the world for Environmental Impact and =182nd for Social Impact, placing us 7th and 30th in the UK respectively.
The two categories contain a total of eight different performance lenses which map on to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You can read more about the methodology behind this ranking here.
Environmental Impact
As the table below shows, we have been ranked 13th in the world and 2nd in the UK (after University of Edinburgh) for Sustainable Education, which evaluates how well our curriculum aligns with the climate and sustainability agenda, our academic reputation in this area, and institutional focus on environmental sustainability.
| Year | ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT | Sustainable Education | Sustainable Institutions | Sustainable Research |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Rank | 34 | 13 | 94 | 187 |
| 2023 UK Rank | 7 | 2 | 16 | 22 |
| 2023 Scot Rank | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
We are ranked 94th in the world (16th in the UK) for Sustainable Institutions, measuring commitment to net zero, institutional strategies toward environmental sustainability and student activity in this area. For Sustainable Research, assessing the impact of research aligned to the SDGs, we are ranked 187th globally, 22nd in the UK and 2nd in Scotland. This is a really strong set of results.
Social Impact
The Social Impact category, focusing on the role universities play in creating a more equal, fair and just world, contains five lenses. For these, our world and UK rankings are more mixed, as can be seen in the following table.
| Year | SOCIAL IMPACT | Employment & Opportunities | Equality | Life Quality | Impact of Education | Knowledge Exchange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Rank | =182 | =220 | =179 | =170 | =395 | =142 |
| 2023 UK Rank | 30 | 33 | 34 | 26 | 48 | 21 |
| 2023 Scot Rank | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
Overall, the University has ranked top 25 in the UK for four of eight lenses.
It is pleasing to see this recognition for the University in this very important area that aligns well with our vision set out in Aberdeen 2040: to be a University having real impact in the world and making a strong contribution to environmental sustainability through our education, research and how we operate as a University. Strong league table results help us to continue to build our reputation in the UK and globally and there are some very strong stories for us to tell based on this new ranking.
A full analysis can be accessed via the Planning and Governance Directorate pages.
Best wishes,
Karl
Karl Leydecker Senior Vice-Principal