University news

Times Higher Education (THE) has today (Thursday 1 June) published the 2023 Impact Rankings – the global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in which the University of Sussex has been named in the top 50 of the world's most sustainable universities.  

In this, the third consecutive year that the University has participated in the rankings, Sussex has achieved an overall place of 49^th in the world and 10^th in the UK.  

More universities than ever are choosing to participate in the rankings as the importance of sustainability within the higher education sector grows annually. Being ranked in the top 50 of over 1,500 universities across the world puts the University of Sussex in the top 3.1% globally of sustainable universities. 

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, said:  

“Sustainability is central to Sussex’s mission. We are a university that is committed to sustainable development and to making a transformative contribution to tackling the threats posed by climate change and environmental degradation.  

“I am delighted to see Sussex once again in the top 50 institutions worldwide in the THE Impact Rankings. This collective achievement speaks of the passionate commitment to global social justice and environmental sustainability that runs across the University. There is still much more we can do, however, to develop our research and educational offer in relation to every one of the UN SDGs, as well as to make Sussex a truly sustainable organisation.” 

Sustainability Manager, Sam Waugh, said:  

“It’s wonderful to be recognised for a third successive year as a top 50 sustainable university. We are fully committed to being net zero by 2035, growing our campus biodiversity, and realising our overall vision of being one of the most sustainable universities in the world.”  

The SDGs cover all aspects of sustainable development, from poverty, to health and wellbeing, affordable energy and responsible consumption.  

Sussex’s overall score for this year is 91.3 out of a possible 100. Scores are calculated through comparisons across four broad areas:

• Research: Delivering the SDGs by creating research in relevant topics. 
• Stewardship: How universities act as stewards of their physical resources and also their employees, faculty, and students. 
• Outreach: The work that universities do with their local, regional, national and international communities to create impact on sustainability. 
• Teaching: Developing the skilled practitioners to deliver on the SDGs and in creating alumni that take forward the key lessons of sustainability into their future careers. 

Sussex was ranked in 11 out of 17 SDGs, based on evidence on how it is meeting key sustainability indicators, with the top three scoring SDGs and SDG 17 used to calculate overall score.   

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