The University of Nottingham has once again been recognised as one of the top universities in the world for its commitment to sustainability in everything that it does.
The university is ranked joint 37th out of more than 2,000 universities around the globe and 14th out of 109 universities in the UK by the 2026 QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, which measures the ability of higher education institutions to tackle global environmental, social and governance challenges
This success follows the university's publication of Towards a Fairer World, its annual report highlighting Nottingham's activity in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The report covers how research, education and environmental stewardship across its UK, China and Malaysia campuses are contributing to progress towards the SDGs and a fairer, healthier and more sustainable future.
The University of Nottingham's global top 40 placing in the QS sustainability rankings and our Towards a Fairer World report are both testament to the dedication and passion of many colleagues and teams across the university who are working to make the world a better place.
Professor Metcalfe said the SDG report was a separate initiative, but its publication complemented the university's recognition by QS as a world top 40 university for sustainability.
She added: "Each evidence our commitment to improving lives through innovative solutions to complex challenges, and to inspiring our students and equipping them with the skills and motivation to shape a positive future."
In the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026, Nottingham was ranked:
- joint 82nd in the world for Environmental Impact – environmental sustainability, environmental education and environmental research
- joint 11th in the world for Social Impact – equality, knowledge exchange, impact of education employability and opportunities, and health and wellbeing
- joint 13th in the world for Governance – ethics, hiring practices, transparency, decision-making.
Towards a Fairer World highlights how research from the University of Nottingham is driving positive global change and helping to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems including poverty, climate change and social injustice.
Professor Metcalfe, in her forward to the report, said the university's tri-campus strengths and highly collaborative ethos were significant in its ability to work beyond borders in addressing global challenges.
She added: "The University of Nottingham's campuses in the UK, Malaysia and China have common strengths in food, health and sustainable technologies, each with distinct characteristics that are applied to local and regional challenges, while having an international reputation and impact.
"This shared sense of purpose shines through the pages of our Towards a Fairer World report, which provides inspiring, real-world insights into how we are contributing to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainability Goals across the university."
More about our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals
The report covers activity in 2023-24 across the 17 SDGs including:
SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
- Research at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China has influenced the concept of the sponge city and nature-based solutions to mitigate flood risk. These blue-green solutions are being applied to Asia's five mega deltas, where communities face 90% of global flood risk.
- At the University of Nottingham Malaysia, researchers are addressing the growing threat of microplastics to ecosystems and human health. With support from the United Nations Development programme, UNM is developing innovative water treatment technologies to remove microplastics from domestic wastewater.
- A pioneering study by UK researchers with partners in Nagpur, India, is applying novel modelling techniques and wastewater sampling to improve preparation for Covid surges and better manage healthcare resources in lower-income countries.
SDG 10: reduce inequalities
- More than 70 countries and regions are represented by University of Nottingham Ningbo China students and staff.
- University of Nottingham Malaysia researchers are developing more inclusive and accessible screening for children with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions. Current diagnostic tools are geared towards English-speaking, Western populations, which risks leaving children and families in local contexts without the support they need.
- A comic book, based on research from the University of Nottingham, has been designed to help children aged 13 to 16 understand the risks and signs of forced marriage and how they can help prevent it and protect themselves and their loved ones.
