40th in the world for sustainability – a new UCT first

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has climbed 10 places to secure a joint 40th position in the 2025 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for Sustainability, released on 10 December. UCT remains the top-ranked university in Africa and continues to lead among South African institutions in this ranking.

As society grapples with the interconnected challenges of climate change, socioeconomic inequality, governance gaps and environmental injustice, the role of higher education in addressing these thorny issues has never been more critical. Universities play a considerable role as agents of change that are shaping future leaders, advancing sustainability research and creating solutions that support global goals, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.

“Our work as a university is rooted in ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for all.”

In its third edition, the QS Sustainability Rankings assessed over 1 751 universities across the globe, looking at how they’re delivering on key sustainability indicators. Out of 70 African universities and 13 in South Africa, UCT emerged as the continent’s leader at 1st position, placing it in the top 2.5% of universities worldwide in this ranking.

“UCT’s position as a global and African leader in this ranking reflects our community’s deep and unwavering commitment to tackling the sustainability challenges of our time,” said Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, Professor Jeff Murugan.

“Our work as a university is rooted in ensuring a sustainable and equitable future for all. A prime example is our living lab project, Khusela Ikamva, where research, teaching, learning and operations converge. This initiative brings together academics, professional staff and students to collaboratively develop, test and implement sustainable solutions and practices across our campuses,” said Professor Murugan. “UCT will continue to drive innovative approaches that make sustainability a part of everyday life – on our campuses with the aim that we can influence practices in the rest of the country and beyond” he added.

Methodology

The QS ranking is determined using three broad categories, each assessed through a series of performance lenses made up of aggregated individual metrics with varying weightings:

• Environmental Impact (45%): Environmental Education, Environmental Research and Environmental Sustainability
• Social Impact (45%): Employability and Outcomes, Equality, Health & Wellbeing, Impact of Education and Knowledge Exchange 
• Governance (10%): Good Governance

Performance by category

UCT’s strongest performance was in the Environmental Impact category, where it was tied at 40th place globally.

In the Social Impact category, UCT was tied at 94th place. Notably, performance improved across all indicators in this category, with an outstanding result for Knowledge Exchange, where the university achieved a tie at 81st place. In the Governance category, UCT performed exceptionally well, achieving a tie at 39th place.

Manfred Braune, UCT’s director of environmental sustainability in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor lauded this ranking.

“This is a very significant milestone for UCT considering its commitment to being a world leader in sustainability and tackling the world’s greatest problems. We are incredibly proud of and grateful for every student and staff member that has contributed to this achievement and we will continue to work hard on meeting UCT’s Vision 2030 sustainability objectives.”

THE Impact Rankings

Earlier this year, UCT achieved a historic milestone by breaking into the top 100 for the first time, ranking 77th globally in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. These rankings measure how higher education institutions are making strides towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through research, teaching and institutional practices.

UCT performed well in SDG 17: partnership for the goals, securing an impressive 7th position globally, tied with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Another standout performance came in SDG 14: life below water, where UCT achieved 13th place globally, an exceptional result considering it was a first-time submission.

The university was also placed in the top 100 in four additional SDGs. In SDG 6: clean water and sanitation, UCT ranked 23rd, while SDG 1: no poverty saw the university placed 64th. In SDG 16: peace, justice and strong Institutions, UCT achieved 81st position and for SDG 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure, the university secured 98th place.