About the QS Sustainability Rankings
The Sustainability Ranking offers in-depth insights into how universities address challenges related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
The first edition that was published by QS was the 2023 QS Sustainability Rankings.
You will find a selection of Reports, offering both a top-down and bottom-up view of performance data per institution.
The Sustainability Ranking evaluates universities based on three main Lenses:
Environmental Impact
Social Impact
Governance
You will also be able to drill down into Indicators and Metrics that are part of the evaluation.
1. Index Report
Offers a top-down overview across all institutions ranked in your chosen subject.
Select Benchmark Peers from dropdown (custom list, master peer list, QS lists, regional/territorial lists).
Change the Benchmark Period as needed.
Use Values buttons to display data as ranks, percentiles, or scores.
Optionally group by rank or by change in ranking position.
2. Highlights Report
Provides detailed performance insights for a single institution within its peer context.
Distribution across all Indicators
Statistical measures: mean, median, max, quartiles from the peer list.
Time series charts comparing the focus institution with:
Benchmark Peers
Domestic Peers
Overall ranking changes over time
Focus Institution is highlighted with a bold, coloured line or marked with a dot.
3. Indicators Report
Allows in-depth analysis of individual ranking indicators for the Focus Institution.
Indicator map gives an overview of all Indicators.
Selection of an individual Indicator displays a detailed report, similar to Highlights.
Indicators and their weights adapt based on the selected ranking’s methodology.
4. Benchmark Report
Enables side-by-side comparison of your institution with others.
Compare against individual peers or entire peer lists.
Option to order your view (e.g., by score, rank, or other criteria).
5. Analytics Report
For advanced, in-depth analysis and data visualization.
Multiple visualization options:
Heat map
Scatter plot
Movement chart
List view
Overview of Controls and Customization
Depending on the content of the report you will have access to some of the controls described below
Control | Options |
Benchmark Peers | Custom lists, master peer list, QS lists, regions, sub-regions, territories |
Benchmark Period | Select different timeframes |
Values buttons | Ranks, percentiles, or scores |
Group by buttons | By rank or ranking movement |
Context | Show/ hide the other peers from the rankings/ Benchmark Peers list |
Zoom | Full range or focus on range of values of relevant Benchmark Peer List/ institution |
Shortcuts | Frequently used indicator pairs used in analysis |