USask a leader in higher education sustainability rankings

USask has earned a rank of 67th overall around the world, even with the addition of more than 180 universities to the THE Impact Rankings bringing the total number of participants to nearly 1,600.

THE measures the performance of institutions around the world against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations. Universities must submit information for at least four of the 17 SDGs to be included in the overall rankings, and one must be for SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals.

In addition to ranking 67th overall, USask made a significant jump into the top 20 worldwide in SDG 2 – Zero Hunger (moving up from 52nd last year to 16th) and placing 20th in SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.

“We are thrilled to see USask’s dedication to sustainability recognized in these latest rankings,” said USask Vice-President Research Baljit Singh. “This is a testament to the commitment of many: our researchers, faculty, scholars, artists, staff, and students who continually deliver on our promise to be what the world needs.”

Overall, USask submitted data and supportive evidence for nine SDGs in the 2023 rankings and placed in the top 100 worldwide in four of those categories. One of those was SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities, where USask placed 95th worldwide in the university’s first-ever year submitting for that SDG.

USask finished no lower than the 101-200 tier for any SDG in this year’s THE rankings, with the other top 100 placing in SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.

“USask places a high priority on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We’re so inspired by receiving global recognition in the THE Impact Rankings,” said Dr. Airini (PhD), USask provost and vice-president academic. “To be the university the world needs is a bold ambition. It requires us to be very disciplined about tracking our progress in areas of impact. Through research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching, USask is addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges at the core of the 17 SDGs of the United Nations.”

USask has also received recognition from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), achieving “gold” status in the Sustainability Tracking & Assessment Rating System (STARS) in 2023. This is the first time USask has received gold status since being part of the STARS system.

“These rankings serve as motivation for us to continue driving positive change and world-leading research to support the sustainability of communities,” Singh said.

The complete individual SDG results for USask in the THE Impact Rankings are as follows:

• SDG 2 – Zero Hunger – 16th
• SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing – 74th
• SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation – 101-200 tier
• SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure – 101-200 tier
• SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities – 95th
• SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities – 20th
• SDG 14 – Life Below Water – 101-200 tier
• SDG 16 – Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – 101-200 tier
• SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals – 101-200 tier

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For media inquiries, contact: 

Victoria Dinh
USask Media Relations
306-966-5487
victoria.dinh@usask.ca