University of Freiburg soars high among the top 10 percent for SDG 13 (Climate Action)
Every year, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THE Impact Rankings) investigate the impact of higher education institutions worldwide on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. This year, the University of Freiburg ranks 65th out of 735 for “SDG 13 – Climate Action,” placing it in the top ten percent worldwide. In a Germany-wide comparison, the University of Freiburg ranks second for SDG 13. It also achieves high rankings for SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The University of Freiburg participated in the ranking for the first time this year. It is published by the British magazine Times Higher Education.
The THE Impact Rankings evaluate a broad spectrum of university activities, including research and teaching, resource consumption, communication measures, working conditions, social commitment, and policies on support and gender equality programs. In the case of “SDG 13 – Climate Action”, for which the University of Freiburg is ranked 65th worldwide, the evaluation includes research on climate topics, use of renewable energies, education and communication measures, cooperation for more climate protection, and target agreements for CO2 neutrality.
Rankings for SDG 12 and 16
For SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), for which only very few universities in Germany provide any information at all, the University of Freiburg achieved a global ranking of 101-200 out of 674; in a Germany-wide comparison, it is also in second place in this category. In addition to the topic-related research output, the decisive factors include, for example, waste avoidance strategies and compliance with environmental guidelines, the proportion of recycling and the publication of an environmental report.
For SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), the University of Freiburg is ranked 201-300 out of 910 worldwide. Relevant factors include research on peace and justice issues, political and civil society advisory activities at regional, state and federal level, the number of graduates in law, and internal university governance structures that ensure democratic participation, involve local stakeholders in decision-making processes and safeguard academic freedom.
For SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which accounts for 22 percent of the overall ranking, the University of Freiburg is ranked 601-800 out of 1625. Among other things, this evaluates cooperation with governmental and non-governmental actors in lower-income countries to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In the overall ranking, the University of Freiburg achieved the rank group 401-600 out of 1591 institutions in the global comparison. In the national comparison, the University of Freiburg is ranked fifth together with three other universities. However, the overall rankings are only comparable to a limited extent because the universities can decide for themselves on which SDGs they provide data.
The evaluation of the University of Freiburg is based on data submitted in fall 2022. As this is the University of Freiburg’s first participation in THE Impact Rankings, no comparison to previous years is available.
THE Impact Rankings methodology
The methodology of the rankings is built around the individual SDGs. Higher education institutions receive a score and ranking for their activities in those SDGs for which they provide data. To participate in the overall rankings, higher education institutions must submit data for at least four SDGs, one of which must be SDG 17.
The overall ranking score is calculated based on the score in SDG 17 (which accounts for 22% of the overall ranking) and the three strongest other SDGs for which a university provided data (these each account for 26% of the overall ranking). The University of Freiburg had submitted data on 10 SDGs. The evaluation of each SDG is based on a set of specific indicators and metrics, which are explained on the THE Impact Rankings website.
Participation in the rankings is generally open to all higher education institutions worldwide that teach at either graduate or postgraduate level.