The UAB ranks 61st worldwide and first in Spain in sustainability and social impact

The third edition of the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability has been made public. This ranking measures the social and environmental impact of universities through three aspects, each with different weights: environmental impact, with a weight of 45%; social impact, with 45%; and governance, which is weighted with 10% of the total assessment.

The ranking places the UAB in 61st position worldwide, an improvement of 53 positions compared to last year. In environmental impact, it ranks 49th; in social impact, 84th; and in governance, 329th worldwide. In Spain, in addition to leading the ranking on a global scale, the UAB is also the first university in environmental and social impact. It is followed by the University of Barcelona, in position 115 worldwide, and the Complutense University of Madrid, in position 162.

The QS Sustainability Ranking aims to analyse the measures universities are taking to address and lead the way in responding to global environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges. QS believes that, through research, teaching, strong governance and community engagement, universities have the expertise and opportunity to drive sustainable development, ensuring that generations of students to come are educated on the importance of this issue. This third edition of the ranking analyses data from 1,743 universities worldwide, 340 more than in the past edition. It is headed by the University of Toronto in Canada, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, the University of California, Berkeley, in the USA, and Lund University in Sweden.

Climate Policy Programme

The results of the UAB compared to the previous edition make clear the improvement in the environmental impact category (from position 206 to 49), an aspect that has been greatly worked on with the Climate Policy Programme and participation in international and local networks. The UAB Climate Policy Programme specifies a strategy for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change with medium-term objectives and commitments. It aims to reduce the consumption of resources (water and energy), abandon the use of fossil fuels, and advance in the reduction of indirect emissions to achieve climate neutrality in 2030 for the activity of the University itself, with the provision of offsetting those greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that cannot be reduced.

The UAB will also transfer these commitments to the entities in which it participates, either directly or through its boards of trustees. In this way, the objectives and commitments of the UAB Climate Policy will contribute to territorial, national and global objectives, and will serve as a guide for newly trained professionals, as well as for organisations, companies, entities and administrations that participate in the University's research and innovation.

Years of commitment to the environment

The UAB is a university with a long history of commitment to the environment. It includes a Vice-Rector's Office for Campus and Sustainability; it pioneered the creation of the Environmental Science studies and research in this field; it houses the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), one of the best research centres internationally; and it has carried out different plans to improve the environmental management of the campus, such as its Sustainability Plan (2013-2017), the Healthy and Sustainable Campus Plan 2018-2022, and the Healthy and Sustainable Campus Plan 2023-2027. In fact, the University's 2018-2030 Strategic Plan explicitly states the intention to implement a sustainable university model, with special emphasis on training, environmental awareness and mobility.

For more information please visit:

QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025

UAB Climate Policy