University of Oulu stands out for its research impact in global sustainability ranking

Although the university's position dropped slightly, the number of participating universities increased by over 200 compared to the previous year, with more than 2,000 institutions included in this year's evaluation.

The ranking is based on three categories: environmental impact, social impact, and governance. Environmental impact measures the influence of education, research, and other university operations. Social impact focuses on areas such as commitment to equality, promotion of wellbeing and health, and the societal relevance of education. Governance assesses how well the university performs in areas such as transparency and inclusiveness.

The University of Oulu performs particularly well in the research impact indicator within the environmental impact category, ranking 105th globally. In the social impact category, the university excels in the indicator that evaluates research contributions to health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), wellbeing services provided on campus, and Finland’s performance in international wellbeing and environmental comparisons. In this area, the university ranks 102nd globally.

In the sustainability ranking, environmental and social impact each account for 45% of the overall score, while good governance contributes 10%.