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 is calculated from the three strongest + mandatory SDG 17. A detailed methodology is available here.

In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025, UP performed best in SDG 3 (health and quality of life), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and also in mandatory goal 17 (partnership to achieve the goals). The highest possible score was achieved in two indicators, namely in mandatory target 17 (Publication of SDG reports) and in non-mandatory target 12 (Publication of a sustainability report).

Out of the nine completed SDGs, Palacký University was ranked once in TOP100, once in TOP200 and 5 times in TOP300. In the remaining two SDGs it was ranked in TOP600. In some areas UP is at the top in the Czech Republic according to the overview below. It has also been ranked number one or shared number one in the AURORA alliance six times.

The QS Sustainability Rankings are based on a combination of data provided by participating universities, Elsevier data, public national statistics, and reputation surveys. This year's rankings include 2,002 universities from around the world (251 more than last year), including 15 from the Czech Republic. 

Palacký University ranked 423^rd, which is a drop from last year's 360th place, despite improving all its sub-scores.

As usual, it performed best in the Good Governance category (214th place, score of 90.6). This area assesses the quality of university management and administration. Its excellent score earned Palacký University third place in the Czech Republic and first place within the Aurora Alliance.

UP ranks 500^th in the Social Impact category. It achieved its best sub-score in the Health & Wellbeing indicator (228^th place), where it ranks second in the Czech Republic and first in the Aurora Alliance. This indicator, which assesses the institution's commitment to improving the health and well-being of humanity as a whole and of its own employees and students, is clearly UP's best indicator according to its score (93.7), ranking it 2nd in the Czech Republic and 1st in the Aurora Alliance. 

It scored around 80 points in the following indicators: Equality (411^th place), Knowledge Exchange (489^th place), and Environmental Research (497^th place). The Equality indicator assesses the scientific performance of institutions in areas related to SDG 5 and SDG 10, gender balance, support for disadvantaged groups at the university, and the anchoring of inclusion in binding documents. It also includes the results of a reputation survey among academics and national statistics on equality. The Knowledge Exchange indicator tracks how institutions collaborate in research, share knowledge, and support the development of education. Finally, the Environmental Research indicator measures the impact of the university's research on areas related to the UN's environmental goals (SDGs) and assesses how the institution contributes to addressing global environmental challenges through scientific activity.

The most significant shift occurred in the Employability and Opportunities indicator, where the university increased its score from 56.8 to 65.6. This indicator assesses the university's ability to ensure successful careers for its graduates, its links with employers, and the impact of its research on relevant SDG targets, supplemented by graduate opinions and national employment statistics.

The results of the ranking show that Palacký University achieves the best results in the area of management and support of wellbeing, while there is still room for improvement in environmental and some social indicators. Although the overall ranking has fallen this year, the gradual increase in partial scores indicates a positive trend in the implementation of the sustainability strategy. 

The comparison focuses on six main areas: Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, and Education and 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 rankings newly include inquiries on ICT support for each area.

In many inquiries, the criteria have been made stricter according to the new methodology, so although the same values were given as last year, UP received a lower score.

UP performed best in the areas of Waste, Water, and Transportation, where it consistently achieved 75% of the maximum possible scores. UP’s biggest challenge is Energy and Climate Change, where it only managed to achieve 47% of the possible points.

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 throughout the parks and the UP campus, also resulted in extra points.

Maximum points were obtained in the area of health care for employees and students as well as in the area of support for students with special needs. Similarly, UP has a high standard of wastewater and toxic waste management.

The ranking also considers the existence of a website focused on sustainability and the associated strategic documents – the Sustainability Strategy and the Sustainability Report.

However, UP missed out on possible points due to incomplete records of research projects focused on sustainability, where it scored a mere 10 out of a possible 200 points.

Rankings of Czech universities in 2024

All in all, universities in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom have performed best. Again, first place went to Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, followed by the UK’s Nottingham Trent University, and University of Groningen in the Netherlands completed the triad of the top three most environmentally friendly schools. More information can be found here.