The University of Liverpool has risen 8 places, ranking among the world’s top 50 in the annual QS Sustainability Rankings.
Released today, the rankings place the University 42nd out of 1,744 institutions globally, up from 1,403 last year making this the largest cohort since the league table was introduced in 2023. These rankings are particularly important to us as they represent 5% of our overall score in the QS World University Rankings, used as a measure of success for our strategic ambition to be a top 100 university.
The rankings evaluate university’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance using the following indicators: sustainable institutions, sustainable education, and sustainable research. The also assess social impact measures, which include equality, knowledge exchange, educational impact, employability and opportunities, and quality of life.
The University of Liverpool scored particularly well under the equality indicator, retaining its 2024 position of 5th in the world. QS’s equality lens assesses a university’s dedication to promoting not only gender equality but also reducing inequalities more broadly. As a university that is committed to fostering an environment that recognises, respects and celebrates individuals through its Diversity and Equality policies, we are especially proud of this achievement.
Amongst UK institutions, the University has been ranked 16th out of 98. This comes at a pivotal time, as we prepare to publish our new Sustainability Strategy later this week. The new strategy builds on the vision for sustainability set in the Liverpool 2031 Strategic Framework, and will drive forward environmental and social equity, making a positive impact within and beyond our university boundaries.
Nicola Davies, Chief Financial Officer and Chair of the Sustainability Committee said “I am delighted that we are ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide for sustainability. This is testament to the work that goes on across the University to support sustainability in its broadest sense, and it is fantastic that our ambition and positive impact have been recognised in such an important league table”.
The full rankings can be found at: https://www.topuniversities.com/sustainability-rankings
QS’s full methodological breakdown for the Sustainability Rankings can be found here.
The QS Sustainability Rankings evaluate the impact of universities based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). You can read all about our progress towards the SDGs in our latest annual report, here.
If you want to know more about our work on sustainability, please visit: www.liverpool.ac.uk/sustainability or email sustainability@liverpool.ac.uk