The University has climbed the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact rankings, which assess over 2,000 universities around the world against the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The University scored strongly in Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17) ranking 69th in the world (that’s up from 801-1000 in the only category all institutions are scored) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) ranking 78th”
It also achieved top 101 to 200 rankings in Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10) Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).
Southampton placed in the top 201 to 300 (10 to 15 per cent) of universities overall.
Professor Phillip Wright, Senior Vice-President and Sustainability Champion at the University said: “Universities have a key role to play in building a better, fairer and more sustainable future through our research, teaching and engagement activities. It’s encouraging to see our partnership work receive particular recognition, as we believe that it is by working together with others that we can make the biggest impact.”
THE evaluated 2,152 universities from 125 countries and regions to produce the overall Impact Ranking for 2024. The rankings demonstrate universities’ commitment to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges, including environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth and partnerships.
Last year the University launched its Sustainability and Resilience Institute (SRI), which brings together academics and students from different disciplines to address the sustainability challenges facing our society and environment.
Professor Craig Hutton, Director of the SRI, said: “The SRI aims to improve how the University of Southampton shares its progress on the SDGs and its sustainability research with the public. The 2024 THE Impact Rankings, led by Alice Brock, SDG Officer, working closely with Molly Simmons, PhD Researcher, and with contributions from across the University, has shown the excellence of our work and provides a platform from which to progress further.
Professor Simon Kemp, Deputy Director of the SRI and University lead for sustainability education, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at the University of Southampton. It is crucial that our students have a good understanding of the challenges facing our society and environment and are empowered to make a difference. Our scores in education in the Impact rankings demonstrate this.”
The news follows Southampton’s strong performance in the QS World University Rankings 2025, where it placed 80 out of over 1,500 universities.