THE releases University Impact Rankings 2024; Western Sydney University Australia at top

A total of four Australian universities are in the top 10 of THE University Impact Rankings 2024 including - Western Sydney University, University of Tasmania, RMIT University and UNSW Sydney.

Times Higher Education has released the University Impact Rankings for 2024 based on the performance of the universities around the multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The universities which topped the chart demonstrated comprehensive excellence in contributing to global sustainable development. 2,152 universities from 125 countries/regions were evaluated to produce the ranking.

"These leading universities are recognised for their overarching impact across several dimensions of sustainable development, making significant contributions to creating a sustainable and resilient future. Their broad-based excellence underscores the importance of holistic approaches to global challenges and highlights the critical role of academia in driving sustainable change," said the official statement.

THE University Impact Rankings 2024 Details

Australian universities now take four of the top 10 spots, up from three in 2023. Western Sydney University Australia is in the first position, University of Tasmania at second, RMIT University at 5th position and UNSW Sydney is in 7th place.

At a time when the world is facing pressing challenges of social inclusion, environmental sustainability, economic growth and partnerships, these universities showcase their commitment to addressing these issues.

Some university systems are emerging as leaders when it comes to particular SDGs. For eg- UK universities are doing well around responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), while South Korea is particularly active when it comes to decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).

Five German universities have perfect scores in SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure). These are - RWTH Aachen University, the Technical University of Munich, TU Dresden, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the University of Stuttgart.

Peter Middendorf, vice-rector for knowledge and technology transfer at the University of Stuttgart said, “One key factor why German universities generally perform well in SDG 9 can be attributed to the strong tradition of technically oriented universities, with particularly numerous strong engineering institutes. Here, alongside basic research, collaborative research with industry partners has long been strongly promoted."

The second position is shared by the University of Tasmania Australia and the University of Manchester UK, Aalborg University Denmark is in 4th position, RMIT University Australia is in 5th place, the University of Alberta Canada is in 6th position, Queen's University Canada is in 8th place, Arizona State University US at 9, and University of Exeter UK is at 10th place.

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