UCC ranked among the best universities in the world for sustainable development

22 Apr 2020

University College Cork is today ranked as one of the leading universities internationally working towards creating a sustainable world.

UCC was ranked 32 in the world by the Times Higher Education [THE] Impact Rankings, the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals [SDG].

766 universities across 89 countries were examined, with UCC ranked 32nd overall, and was rated in the top 20 for five of the UN’s 17 SDGs.

THE’s Impact Rankings seek to identify those institutions seeking to make a contribution towards creating a sustainable world.

UCC President Prof Patrick O'Shea said:

“The SDGs which have been embraced by UCC and the Irish Government, form the framework for the innovations needed to reboot and retool our economy for long-term success and resilience.”

UCC Deputy President and Registrar Prof John O'Halloran said:

"SDGs are a critical part of our mission and acadmic strategy, and enable our graduates to shape a new and changing world."

Commenting on the rankings, UCC Sustainability Officer Dr Maria Kirrane said:

“THE’s Impact Ranking assesses the diversity of activities across an institution in relation to each of the Sustainable Development Goals; it scores each university on activity across teaching, research, operations and engagement. UCC’s success reflects our whole-institution approach to sustainability and our community’s decades of experience in tackling global issues.”

Among the findings:

• UCC is ranked 32nd in the world for meeting United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
• UCC is ranked fifth in the world for its efforts in meeting the UN’s ‘No Poverty’ goal - a recognition of UCC’s research in the area, as well as the financial aid it provides and its anti-poverty initiatives both within the university and the community.
• Other SDGs for which UCC placed in the top 20 includes its efforts towards Life Below Water (8th in the world), Zero Hunger (12th), Responsible Consumption & Production (16th) and Life on Land (17th).
• UCC is in the top 4.1% of universities in the 2020 rankings - up from the top 4.4% last year, despite the addition of almost 300 universities to this year’s table.
• UCC’s overall score towards meeting the SDGs this year is 91.6 out of 100, up from 91.1 last year. 

The full THE Impact Rankings can be found HERE.