These 2 Canadian Universities Ranked in the Top 3 in the World for Sustainability: Study

When it comes to social and environmental sustainability, it looks like two Canadian post-secondary institutions — the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia — are taking top marks.

Out of 700 post-secondary institutions, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia ranked number two and three in the world, respectively, in the 2023 QS World University Rankings for sustainability. 

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What are the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability?

It’s great that these two Canadian schools made the top three, but what exactly do the QS World University Rankings for sustainability measure? According to the QS website, these rankings are “focused on social and environmental sustainability performance in higher education institutions.”

The rankings’ methodology used indicators “designed to measure an institution’s ability to tackle the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges.”

“Indicators are split into environmental sustainability measures – including sustainable institutions, sustainable education and sustainable research – and social impact measures, which includes equality, knowledge exchange, educational impact, employability and opportunities, and quality of life,” the QS website explains.

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The top 10 universities in the world, based on sustainability rankings

Wondering what other institutions made the list? Here are the top 10 schools ranked (based on overall rank) according to the QS Sustainability Rankings 2023:

1. University of California, Berkeley
2. University of Toronto
3. University of British Columbia
4. The University of Edinburgh
5. The University of New South Wales
6. The University of Sydney
7. The University of Tokyo
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Yale University
10. The University of Auckland

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