Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education analyst, on Wednesday (26/10), released the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, a new framework for evaluating how universities are taking action to address the world’s most pressing environmental and social issues. QS evaluates more than 1,300 higher education institutions that meet certain eligibility requirements and assigns 700 universities the highest rankings.
Encouragingly, Universitas Indonesia (UI) is one of the universities in Indonesia that made the list. The overall ranking of universities featured in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability is determined by the sum of their scores in two categories, namely Environmental Impact and Social Impact. Environmental Impact incorporates three indicators, namely sustainable institutional, sustainable education, and sustainable research. Meanwhile, Social Impact incorporates five indicators covering equality, knowledge exchange, education impact, employment and opportunities, and quality of life.
UI managed to rank in the 281-300 range, outperforming its domestic competitors in 6 out of 8 QS indicators. The six indicators include Sustainable Institutions, which assesses institutional strategies and operations geared toward an environmentally sustainable future. Second, Equality, which analyzes research results aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 and 10 on gender equality and reducing inequality, as well as measurable elements of diversity and inclusiveness.
On the third indicator, Knowledge Exchange, UI can suggest high-level domestic and international collaborations to advance knowledge and raise academic standards around the world. The fourth indicator, Impact of Education, is related to research aligned with the 4th SDG, QS Academic and Alumni Surveys, Academic Freedom Index, international student exchanges and student graduation rates. In the fifth indicator, Employability and Opportunities, UI has strong alumni who are employable. Finally, in the Life Quality indicator, UI plays an active role in analyzing data related to research results in SDGs (1, 2, 3, and 6), which include health options on campus, Air Quality Index, and Subjective Wellbeing Score.
UI’s steps to meet this indicator are in line with the efforts of other universities around the world in addressing global issues. The UN’s latest Sustainable Development Report shows that the world’s progress towards the SDGs has slowed for the second year in a row. However, the global higher education sector can play a meaningful role in reversing this post-pandemic slowdown.
QS Ranking Manager, Dr. Andrew MacFarlane, said that the ranking looks at how the university is committed to and making inroads for the communities it serves and depends on. “By highlighting the contributions of their alumni, the alignment of their research with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or their policies and governance, we hope these rankings will serve to further intensify universities’ efforts to help meet the global challenges we currently face,” said Dr. Andrew.
The QS aims to give prospective students an independent insight into the university’s strides in improving sustainability. According to Jessica Turner, CEO at QS, the development of the Covid-19 vaccine is just one of the latest illustrations of the impact achieved by universities working together to solve a worldwide crisis. Universities are uniquely placed to lead the global efforts to enact environmental and social change, whether through research, teaching or community engagement.
“We also seek to support universities in monitoring and comparing their progress as they seek to implement ESG strategies and find solutions to unprecedented global challenges,” said Jessica.
Regarding this ranking, the University of California, Berkeley ranked first by achieving the highest score in the Environmental Impact and Social Impact categories, each accounting for 50% of the overall score. Followed by two Canadian institutions, the University of Toronto (2nd) and the University of British Columbia (3rd).
In developing the QS World University Rankings concept and methodology: Sustainability, QS launched an extensive consultation involving a 50-person Academic Advisory Board, representatives from hundreds of universities around the world, thousands of students, and data partners at Scopus/Elsevier and Yale University. The United States dominates the ranking, with 135 universities (19.2% of the total), including thirty among the top 100, while the UK is second best with 67 universities (9.5%), including twenty among the top 100. Germany is the third best for overall representation with 39 universities.
