Our university retains global top 10 spot for sustainability in QS Rankings

With an overall score of 98 out of 100, Manchester is now 10^th globally and 5^th in the UK in this year's QS World University Sustainability Rankings, in recognition of its ability to tackle the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges - a shift from 9^th and 4^th respectively last year.

We remain the only university in the world to feature in the top 10 of both the QS Sustainability Rankings and the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.

Now in its fourth year, this year’s QS assessment is its most comprehensive yet, evaluating 2,002 universities, compared with 1,745 in 2024. It assesses Universities’ commitment to sustainability, evaluating them on everything from the impact that alumni are making in science and technology to solve climate issues, to the impact of research being done across the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It also evaluates the social and environmental impact of universities as a centres of education and research, as well as a major employers with the operational sustainability challenges of any large and complex organisation.

Professor Nalin Thakkar, Vice President for Social Responsibility:

“The University’s ability to remain in the global top 10, even as the number of institutions assessed continues to grow, reflects our continued commitment to environmental and social sustainability. It’s a fantastic achievement and testament to all of the hard work that goes on throughout the University.” 

Social Responsibility is one of the five foundations for our new strategy: From Manchester for the World, showing our committment to making a difference to society and the environment through our teaching, research and public engagement, locally and globally.

Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility:

"This fantastic achievement is the result of the collective efforts of our staff, students and partners, all working to embed our commitment to social and environmental impact into everything we do. While we know there is still much more to be done, we are proud of this assessment by QS and remain determined to continue to lead by example.”

More information

- Find the full QS Rankings here

- Find out more about social responsibility at Manchester