Students and university staff alike are focused on sustainability in our age of climate upheaval. That's why organizations like QS World University Rankings — which we've featured before for program rankings — are offering worldwide university rankings focused specifically on social and environmental sustainability.

For 2025, QS World University Rankings rated two Canadian universities in the top 10 for the entire globe! Big congrats to the University of Toronto — ranked number one in the world for sustainability — as well as the University of British Columbia, tied for fifth worldwide. An amazing achievement!

The rankings methodology and criteria are complex, but you can read all about them on the QS sustainability website. In short, QS looks at several categories, ranking and weighting each piece separately to come up with a university's overall score. Categories include:

• Environmental impact
  • Environmental education
  • Environmental research
  • Environmental sustainability
• Social impact
  • Employability and opportunities
  • Equality
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Impact of education
  • Knowledge exchange
• Governance

The top 10 universities worldwide for sustainability

Check out the top 10 universities worldwide for sustainability in 2025, as ranked by QS, below. An equal sign (=) indicates a school is tied for that rank — for example, the University of British Columbia is tied for fifth with University College London.

Canada's well-represented, with two universities in the top 10 in the world! The United Kingdom, too, is doing exceptionally well in the realm of sustainability, with four of their universities making the top 10 — two of which are in London, the UK's capital city. Europe, the United States, and Australia also have a lot to offer for students interested in social and environmental sustainability.

Looking to pursue a university-level program related to the environment, but not sure which school or program is right for you? Check out SchoolFinder: we've got over 1,300 program listings related to the environment, in Canada and beyond!

Have fun exploring schools and programs!