Plymouth ranked among world’s 100 best universities for sustainability

The University placed 84th globally – and 15th in the UK – in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
View of Roland Levinsky Building with wild flowers in the foreground

Plymouth ranked among world’s 100 best universities for sustainability

The University placed 84th globally – and 15th in the UK – in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings
The University of Plymouth has been ranked among the world’s top 100 universities – and the top 15 in the UK – in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
The rankings measure the performance of more than 2,500 universities from 130 countries or territories based on their progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Out of all those universities, Plymouth was placed equal 84th globally and equal 14th in the UK in the tables, recognising its long-held commitments to sustainability across all of its operations.
2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (overall ranking badge)

Plymouth was also ranked among the top 10 UK universities for its performance against six individual SDGs:

SDG 2: Zero hunger graphic
7th in the UK (69th worldwide)
SDG 3: Good health and well-being
3rd in the UK (64th worldwide)
SDG7 Affordable and clean energy
4th in the UK (50th worldwide)
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
5th in the UK (6th worldwide)
SDG 13: Climate action
7th in the UK (40th worldwide)
SDG 14: Life below water
6th in the UK (46th worldwide)
This is the latest acknowledgement of the University’s sustainability expertise and achievements, and it recently retained its PAS 2060 verification after being independently certified carbon neutral for a third year.
In 2024, it won two Green Gown Awards – one for the impact of its pioneering marine litter research, and a second recognising BSc (Hons) Environmental Sciences graduate Hayley Hill as a national sustainability champion.
Its work to embed sustainability in all of its undergraduate and postgraduate teaching was central to it being awarded triple gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, while 78% of its research was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent in the most recent Research Excellence Framework.
 

Read more information linked to this article

Living walls can reduce heat lost from buildings by over 30%
Living walls boost biodiversity by providing safe spaces for urban wildlife

Research in Plymouth found dozens of pollinators, insects and birds living on green structures attached to city buildings

22 January 2026

Our university is recognised as an innovative leader for sustainability, across teaching and learning, research and our University operations

Net Zero