UCC second in the world in sustainability rankings

5 Dec 2025

University College Cork (UCC) was today named the second most sustainable university in the world, according to an assessment of 1,745 universities from 105 different countries around the world.

The UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, which were announced during an award ceremony at National Chi Nan University in Taiwan, placed UCC second in the world for the advancement of sustainability. This is an improvement of two places on last year and ranks UCC as the greenest university campus in Ireland. UCC also ranked first globally in the Energy and Climate Change category for attention to energy efficiency and climate change adaptation and mitigation across our campus.

The UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, established in 2010, examine universities on their work towards reducing their carbon footprint, embedding sustainability in research and learning and helping combat climate change. UCC has consistently been Ireland's leading university for sustainability under this annual assessment, and has been inside the top 10 in the world for 14 out of the 15 years of our participation.

This recognition is the result of a large team effort, and UCC’s sustainability journey has been student-led, research-informed and practice-focussed.

"This fantastic achievement is testament to the hard work of so many of our staff and students across UCC.  It reflects the real impact of our long-term commitment to sustainability. I would like to thank each and every person who has contributed to our sustainability and green campus initiatives."
- Head of Sustainability and Climate Action Dr Maria Kirrane

The educational, research and operational activities of institutions across the world are assessed, and the results positively reflect UCC’s whole-of-university approach to the advancement of sustainability. It brings to a close a landmark week for Sustainability at UCC, which saw the official launch of UCC’s Sustainability Institute and UCC hosting the National SDG Stakeholder Forum.

"We are hugely pleased to be recognised for our work to embed sustainability across research, teaching and operations. Our green transformation has been inspired by our students, enabled by our leadership and delivered by our community.  I would like to thank all of our students, staff and teams who have made this success possible, particularly our Office of Sustainability & Climate Action."
- UCC President Professor John O'Halloran, MRIA