Impact Rankings 2024: universities make trustworthy stewards

Locale determines the mission of many universities, and the Impact Rankings recognise how such diversity and community-mindedness helps to further progress towards the SDGs

June 12, 2024
Boat with flock of birds around it to suggest stewardship
Source: Manish Rajput / Getty Images

Browse the full results of the Impact Rankings 2024

Participate in next year’s Impact Rankings


One of the virtues of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings is its recognition of the differing missions and strengths of universities.

While it uses the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, institutions do not need to submit data against all the goals to be included. They need to provide information on only one SDG to join the exercise, and four SDGs (including SDG 17) to be ranked in the overall table – meaning that different universities are scored based on a different set of SDGs, depending on their focus.

In this way, these rankings celebrate diversity, recognising that there is not one single definition of excellence and that it is the collective strength of the global higher education sector that will help to build a more sustainable, collaborative and global future.

This year’s results show that some university systems are emerging as leaders when it comes to particular SDGs. The UK, for example, is home to several top performers for responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), while South Korea is particularly active when it comes to decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). Our analysis explores the strategies behind the success of some of those beacons of excellence.

But the 17 SDGs are just one way in which the focus of universities differs when it comes to making an impact. Another way is the types of activities at institutions.

Traditionally, when one thinks of the work of universities, it is their research and teaching that first come to mind. Both of those areas are examined in the Impact Rankings, but we also measure stewardship – how universities steer their own ships in terms of sustainability – and outreach – the work that universities do with their local, regional, national and international communities.

This year, our data scientists have conducted a new analysis, exploring how performance compares across those four different pillars, at the continent, country and university levels.

There are unsung heroes that are not recognised by traditional research metrics, but are walking the talk on sustainability when it comes to their own operations and community partnerships. There are also institutions that are renowned for their research prowess but still have a long way to go when it comes to getting their own houses in order.

A Nigerian university comes out top globally for both outreach and stewardship, reflecting a broader trend of African universities rising significantly in representation and in performance in the rankings.

There has been rapid growth elsewhere, too, with 2,152 universities from 125 countries/regions featuring in this year’s tables. India is now the most-represented nation, followed closely by Turkey and Pakistan.

We are delighted that we can showcase the vital work of all these universities in these rankings, and the diverse ways that they are delivering transformational impact.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com


Countries/regions represented in the overall Impact Rankings 2024

Country/region

Number of institutions

Top institution

Rank

India

96

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

=81

Turkey

91

Istanbul Technical University

34

Pakistan

89

COMSATS University Islamabad

201-300

 

 

Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology

201-300

Russian Federation

79

Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University

201-300

 

 

RUDN University

201-300

Thailand

77

Mahidol University

=19

Japan

74

Hokkaido University

=72

Iraq

71

University of Basrah

401-600

United Kingdom

68

University of Manchester

=2

Philippines

56

Ateneo de Manila University

201-300

Brazil

55

University of São Paulo

101-200

Algeria

54

University of Oum El Bouaghi

401-600

Uzbekistan

53

Alisher Navo’i Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature

301-400

Spain

52

Polytechnic University of Valencia

101-200

 

 

Rovira i Virgili University

101-200

 

 

University of Barcelona

101-200

 

 

University of Girona

101-200

 

 

University of Jaén

101-200

 

 

University of Vigo

101-200

Taiwan

51

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)

=25

Egypt

46

Ain Shams University

201-300

 

 

Mansoura University

201-300

United States

46

Arizona State University (Tempe)

9

Indonesia

45

University of Indonesia

31

Ukraine

42

Sumy State University

201-300

France

33

Institut Agro

=21

Saudi Arabia

32

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

=81

Iran

29

Alzahra University

401-600

 

 

Iran University of Medical Sciences

401-600

 

 

Kerman University of Medical Sciences

401-600

Malaysia

28

Universiti Sains Malaysia

18

Colombia

27

Del Rosario University

301-400

 

 

Pontifical Javeriana University

301-400

Kazakhstan

26

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

401-600

Nigeria

26

Afe Babalola University

101-200

Poland

25

University of Gdańsk

301-400

Canada

24

University of Alberta

6

South Korea

24

Yonsei University (Seoul campus)

11

Italy

22

University of Bologna

=67

Australia

21

Western Sydney University

1

Chile

21

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

201-300

 

 

Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB)

201-300

 

 

Universidad del Desarrollo

201-300

Bangladesh

19

Daffodil International University (DIU)

301-400

Romania

19

University of Bucharest

101-200

Greece

18

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

201-300

Jordan

18

Al-Ahliyya Amman University

201-300

Mexico

18

National Autonomous University of Mexico

64

Azerbaijan

17

Khazar University

601-800

 

 

Western Caspian University

601-800

Portugal

15

University of Coimbra

57

Ecuador

14

Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral

201-300

Vietnam

13

Nguyen Tat Thanh University

301-400

Morocco

12

Ibn Tofaïl University

401-600

 

 

International University of Rabat

401-600

United Arab Emirates

12

Al Ain University

=92

Hungary

11

University of Debrecen

301-400

 

 

University of Szeged

301-400

Czechia

10

Charles University

201-300

South Africa

10

University of Johannesburg

=36

Ghana

9

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

101-200

Lebanon

9

American University of Beirut

201-300

 

 

Holy Spirit University of Kaslik

201-300

Peru

9

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

401-600

Turkmenistan

9

Dovletmammet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages

1,501+

 

 

Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics of Turkmenistan

1,501+

 

 

International University for the Humanities and Development

1,501+

 

 

Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan

1,501+

 

 

State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan

1,501+

 

 

Turkmen Agricultural Institute

1,501+

 

 

Turkmen State Architecture and Construction Institute

1,501+

 

 

Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management

1,501+

 

 

Yagshigeldi Kakayev International University of Oil and Gas

1,501+

Finland

8

Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT

101-200

 

 

University of Helsinki

101-200

Germany

8

Free University of Berlin

101-200

 

 

University of Konstanz

101-200

Ireland

8

University of Galway

47

New Zealand

8

University of Auckland

=13

Palestine

7

An-Najah National University

201-300

Sri Lanka

7

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

601-800

 

 

University of Colombo

601-800

 

 

University of Peradeniya

601-800

Switzerland

7

University of Neuchâtel

201-300

Argentina

6

National University of Córdoba

201-300

Belarus

6

Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics

1,001-1,500

 

 

Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno

1,001-1,500

China

6

Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)

301-400

Lithuania

6

Klaipeda University

601-800

 

 

Mykolas Romeris University

601-800

Netherlands

6

Delft University of Technology

101-200

 

 

Wageningen University & Research

101-200

Tanzania

6

Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

801-1,000

Tunisia

6

University of Tunis El Manar

101-200

Belgium

5

Université Catholique de Louvain

=67

Georgia

5

New Vision University

801-1,000

Hong Kong

5

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

=36

Kosovo

5

UBT

1,001-1,500

Latvia

5

University of Latvia

201-300

Northern Cyprus

5

Eastern Mediterranean University

301-400

 

 

Near East University

301-400

Slovakia

5

Comenius University in Bratislava

601-800

Uganda

5

Makerere University

601-800

Bulgaria

4

Sofia University

401-600

Costa Rica

4

Tecnológico de Costa Rica

401-600

 

 

University of Costa Rica

401-600

Croatia

4

University of Split

201-300

Kuwait

4

American University of the Middle East

101-200

Oman

4

Dhofar University

801-1,000

Paraguay

4

Universidad Nacional de Asunción

1,001-1,500

Somalia

4

Abrar University

1,501+

 

 

Mogadishu University

1,501+

 

 

SIMAD University

1,501+

 

 

Zamzam University for Science and Technology

1,501+

Syria

4

Tishreen University

801-1,000

Bahrain

3

Ahlia University

101-200

Cyprus

3

Frederick University

201-300

Dominican Republic

3

Universidad Iberoamericana

801-1,000

Kenya

3

University of Nairobi

801-1,000

Macao

3

Macao Polytechnic University

301-400

Malawi

3

Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources

801-1,000

 

 

Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST)

801-1,000

Sweden

3

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

=72

Afghanistan

2

Al-Taqwa University

1,001-1,500

 

 

Kabul Polytechnic University

1,001-1,500

Angola

2

Universidade Katyavala Bwila

1,501+

 

 

Universidade Rainha Njinga a Mbande (URNM)

1,501+

Armenia

2

Armenian State University of Economics

1,001-1,500

Austria

2

Montanuniversität Leoben

801-1,000

Bosnia and Herzegovina

2

University of Mostar

601-800

Brunei Darussalam

2

Universiti Teknologi Brunei

801-1,000

Denmark

2

Aalborg University

4

Fiji

2

University of the South Pacific

601-800

Iceland

2

University of Iceland

201-300

Israel

2

University of Haifa

=95

Libya

2

University of Benghazi

1,501+

 

 

University of Zawia

1,501+

Mauritius

2

University of Mauritius

1,001-1,500

 

 

University of Technology, Mauritius

1,001-1,500

Slovenia

2

University of Maribor

601-800

Sudan

2

Mashreq University

1,501+

 

 

National University, Sudan

1,501+

Venezuela

2

Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB)

801-1,000

Note: Table excludes countries with only one institution in the ranking.

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