Aston rises in global university sustainability rankings
Aston University has risen in the global sustainability rankings to the top 21 per cent of universities for sustainability worldwide.
The QS World University Rankings: Sustainability encompasses three categories - environmental impact, social impact, and governance.
This year 1,751 universities were ranked, of which 99 are from the UK.
Aston has improved its previous year’s position of top 24 per cent of globally ranked institutions.
In addition, the university increased its placing in three specific measurements; environmental sustainability - of which it is in the top 140 globally - governance and knowledge exchange.
In November, the university unveiled its new sustainability strategy which embodies its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will serve as a blueprint to embed such issues in all its activities and operations.
Professor Aleks Subic, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Aston University, said: “Our improved position signifies the progress being made to achieve our sustainability goals as set out in our 2030 strategy.
“Our new sustainability strategy represents a significant step in our journey towards making a positive transformational impact on our community.
“We are committed to protecting our local environment, supporting regional and national businesses to adopt sustainable practices and building global partnerships that embody our commitment to the UN sustainable development goals.
“This includes our target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions from the Aston University estate by 2030.”
This latest ranking follows a series of accolades for the university.
For the fourth year running, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) placed Aston University second in the country in its social mobility index.
In September, it was named University of the Year for Student Success in the 2025 Daily Mail University Guide due to its impressive results in graduate outcomes, including high earnings, highly skilled jobs and proportion of students achieving first class and upper second class degrees.
The university holds the prestigious ‘triple’ TEF Gold award for its excellent teaching and was runner up for graduate employment in The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2024.
The sustainability results were introduced in 2023 to signal higher education analytics firm, QS’s commitment to sustainability and the scores given contribute 5 per cent percent to its main world university rankings.
