Lund University in Sweden has been named as the most sustainable university in the world, according to the latest QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026 report.
Nearly 2,000 institutions were ranked in this year’s report, in categories including environmental impact, social impact, and governance, each of which included a number of subcategories.
‘A pivotal moment’
“The publication of the QS Sustainability Rankings arrives at a pivotal moment,” commented Ben Sowter, QS senior VP. “With only 17% of the 169 global Sustainable Development Goals on track for delivery in 2030, the need for accelerated action on environmental and social challenges has never been clearer.”
On a country-by-country basis, the UK has the most universities in the top 10 (as well as the top 200), while China has added more institutions (49) than any other country – nearly double its closest competitor (26).
Read more: Students more interested in a university’s sustainability performance than its rankings
Leading the way
Lund University achieved an overall score of 100, with scores of 99.8 in environmental sustainability, 98.7 in environmental education, 99.8 in environmental research, 100 in equality, 98.9 in knowledge exchange, 94.9 in impact of education, 92.8 in employability & opportunities, 99.6 in health and wellbeing, and 100 in good governance.
The University of Toronto followed in second place with a near-perfect score of 99.8 – the Canadian institution particularly excelled in environmental education (99.9), equality (99.8) and knowledge exchange (99.3).
UCL in London earned a score of 99 to sit in third – earning a perfect score of 100 in knowledge exchange and 99.8 in governance – while the University of Edinburgh placed fourth with a score of 98.7 and the University of British Columbia ranked fifth with 98.6.
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) took sixth place, with a score of 98.5, while Imperial College London and the University of New South Wales shared seventh place, with each scoring 98.2. Rounding off the top ten, McGill University in Montreal places ninth with a score of 98.1, followed by the University of Manchester in tenth, with a score of 98.
Outside the top ten, ETH Zurich (97.9) and the University of California, Berkeley (97.9) ranked joint 11th, with Stanford University (97.8) appearing in 13th place, and the University of Oxford ranked 14th (97.7). The University of Sydney (97.3) placed 15th, while three institutions shared 16th place, all with a score of 97.2 – King’s College London, Australian National University, and the University of Melbourne. The University of Bristol (96.9) ranked 19th, with New York University (NYU) (96.3) in 20th. Read more here.
QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026 (Top 30)
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lund University | 100 |
| 2 | University of Toronto | 99.8 |
| 3 | UCL (University College London) | 99 |
| 4 | The University of Edinburgh | 98.7 |
| 5 | University of British Columbia | 98.6 |
| 6 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 98.5 |
| 7= | Imperial College London | 98.2 |
| 7= | UNSW Sydney | 98.2 |
| 9 | McGill University | 98.1 |
| 10 | The University of Manchester | 98 |
| 11= | ETH Zurich | 97.9 |
| 11= | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | 97.9 |
| 13 | Stanford University | 97.8 |
| 14 | University of Oxford | 97.7 |
| 15 | The University of Sydney | 97.3 |
| 16= | King’s College London | 97.2 |
| 16= | Australian National University (ANU) | 97.2 |
| 16= | The University of Melbourne | 97.2 |
| 19 | University of Bristol | 96.9 |
| 20 | New York University (NYU) | 96.3 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania State University | 96.1 |
| 22= | KU Leuven | 95.9 |
| 22= | University of Helsinki | 95.9 |
| 24= | Durham University | 95.8 |
| 24= | University of Leeds | 95.8 |
| 24= | Western University (Canada) | 95.8 |
| 27 | University of Glasgow | 95.7 |
| 28 | The University of Auckland | 95.5 |
| 29 | Trinity College Dublin | 95.4 |
| 30= | University of Pennsylvania | 95.3 |
