Sustainability Rankings

To be ranked in the overall rankings, an institution needs to complete the mandatory SDG 17 and any other three objectives. If a university provides data for multiple SDGs, the final ranking will be calculated from the three in which it achieved the best score. A detailed methodology is available here.

In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023, UP performed best in SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 4 (Quality education), SDG 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions), and also in the mandatory goal 17 (Partnerships for the goals).

The QS Sustainability Rankings are a combination of input data from participating universities, together with Elsevier data, publicly available national statistics, and third-party assessments.

Despite twice the number of universities ranked, Palacký University Olomouc managed to improve its standing to the 422nd position overall, which is a sum of the three categories mentioned above. Palacký University performed best in the Governance subcategory (187th position), which focuses on the management and governance of the university based on ten specific indicators. Among Czech universities, UP holds third place in this area, and among the Aurora alliance partners it is in second place.

Within the Social Impact category, universities are evaluated on the basis of 5 indicators focusing on equality, knowledge transfer, education, employment, and well-being. UP is ranked 488th in Social Impact, with its top-ranked indicators being Health & Well-being (221st place) which assesses the institution’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of humanity at large (through research) as well as of its own staff and students, and Knowledge Exchange (333rd place) which reflects how institutions collaborate in research, how they share knowledge, and stimulate educational growth. UP’s score in the Health & Well-being indicator is also the best in the Czech Republic.

The last category evaluated is Environmental Impact, in which Palacký University ranks 539th. This environmentally focused area is based on three indicators assessing sustainability, education, and research. UP performed best in Environmental Sustainability (409th place). In contrast, UP’s biggest weakness was the indicator Environmental Education, which assesses whether graduates and academic publications in the earth, marine, and environmental sciences have a good reputation in the community and whether sustainability topics are part of the curriculum.

While only four Czech universities were ranked in QS Sustainability Rankings 2023, ten Czech universities are included in the 2024 ranking.

The ranking focuses on six main areas: Settings & Infrastructure, Energy & Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, and Education & Research. Between 5 and 20 indicators are to be completed in each of these areas, accompanied by evidence such as a photograph, a link to a website, and a description. The complete methodology is available here.

The rankings have newly included inquiries concerning organic waste and e-waste management. This enabled UP once again to receive the best ranking in the area of Waste, mainly due to its well-developed management of organic and toxic waste – in five out of six questions in this area, UP received the maximum score. The number of green spaces on the campuses, such as the park near the UP Faculty of Science building at the Envelopa campus and the UP Centre for Education and Science Park on the Šlechtitelů Street Campus, as well as the pedestrian paths covering the parks and the UP campus, also resulted in extra points. Surprisingly, the electricity consumption per capita at the university was also positively evaluated. Questions on sustainability strategy and sustainability reports were also newly included, which improved UP’s performance in Education & Research, and earned it additional points. Acknowledged were also disciplines whose curriculum includes sustainability and climate change issues. The specific scores are shown in the table below.