The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings were recently released with Queen’s University being ranked first in Canada and third worldwide out of over 1,700 participating institutions.
The ranking marks the university’s best performance to date with its third consecutive top-ten finish.
The THE Impact Rankings are an annual ranking that assess universities across the world in their advancement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs, established by UN member nations in 2015, consist of 17 goals to guide global action in the pursuit of ending poverty, protecting the environment, and overall attaining prosperity and peace for people and the planet. Since the university rankings began in 2019, Queen’s is the first Canadian university to achieve three top-ten placements.
“It is an honour to be recognized for our institution’s ongoing contributions to advancing the SDGs. These goals are reflective of the university’s mission and our desire to be recognized as a global institution,” says Patrick Deane, principal and vice-chancellor. “The Impact Rankings have played an instrumental role in bringing together our community by creating a focus on the numerous ways Queen’s is engaged in solving the world’s most pressing challenges. Our performance in the rankings tells us that we are on the right track, and our efforts are having an impact.”
In this year’s evaluation, the university submitted over 400 pieces of evidence to demonstrate the institution's commitment to SDGs. Queen’s was assessed as first in the world for SDG 2: Zero Hunger, recognizing initiatives that help address food insecurity on campus and provide immediate support. The university was ranked second in the world, and first in Canada for SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, with special mention of Queen’s Model Parliament. Finally, Queen’s was ranked seventh in the world, and third in Canada for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
The 2023 rankings evaluated submissions from 117 countries, including 26 Canadian universities.
Listen to the full story featuring an interview with Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane below: