Sustainability Rankings

To be ranked in the overall rankings, an institution needs to complete the mandatory SDG 17 and any other three objectives. If a university provides data for multiple SDGs, the final ranking is calculated from the three strongest + mandatory SDG 17. A detailed methodology is available here.

In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024, UP performed best in SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality) and also in mandatory goal 17 (partnership to achieve the goals). In the latter, it even achieved the highest possible score in one of the indicators (relationships to support the goals).

Out of the total 8 SDGs, UP is once in the TOP 100, where it ranked 95th in the area of quality education. 5 times it is in TOP 200, 1x TOP 400 and 1x TOP 600th  In total, the University of Olomouc has improved its ranking 6 times compared to last year and stayed in the same positions twice. In some areas, UP is at the top in the Czech Republic according to the above mentioned overview. It has also been ranked number one three times in the AURORA Alliance.

Despite the increase in the number of ranked universities, Palacký University managed to improve its overall position to 360th place, which means a 62-place jump compared to last year.

Just like last year, Palacký University is doing the best ever in the Governance category, where it improved its last year's 187th place by 32 places and is now at 155th place. This category focuses on the management and governance of the university based on ten specific indicators, and the University of Olomouc achieved its second highest score of 86.4, ranking it third in the Czech Republic and first in the Aurora Alliance.

In the Social Impact assessment, the university is evaluated on the basis of five indicators focusing on equality, knowledge transfer, education, employment and wellbeing. UP ranks 455th in the Social Impact category, an improvement of 33 places compared to last year. The best ranking in this category was recorded by Palacký University in the Health & Wellbeing indicator, where it improved its last year's position by 22 places and ranked 199th. This indicator, which assesses the institution's commitment to improving the health and well-being of humanity as a whole (through research) and of its own employees and students, is the best indicator ever for UP according to the score (91.4) and ranks it 2nd in the Czech Republic and 1st in the Aurora Alliance. The University of Olomouc also achieved scores around 80 in Knowledge Exchange (317th place) and Equality (349th place). The former speaks volumes about how institutions collaborate in research, share knowledge and stimulate educational growth. The latter then tells us about the institution's scholarly performance related to SDG 5 and SDG 10 themes, the institution's gender balance, the level of support provided on campus to disadvantaged groups, and the embedding of inclusion in binding documents. Also included are the outputs of a reputation survey among academics and national statistics on the topic of equality.

Palacký University achieved the most significant shift in the Environmental Impact category, in which it improved its position by 145 places compared to last year and is currently ranked 394th. This significant shift was mainly due to the improved score of the Environmental Education indicator, which makes up 17% of the final ranking and in which the University of Olomouc was ranked 1001+ last year. For this year, it is ranked 460th with almost double the score. This indicator combines reputation in Earth and Environmental Sciences, the impact of graduates on environmental sustainability, and course offerings in climate science or sustainability.

12 Czech universities are included in the current edition.

The comparison focuses on six main areas: Infrastructure, Energy and Climate Change, Waste, Water, Transportation, and Education and Research. Between 5 and 20 indicators are to be completed in each of these areas, accompanied by evidence such as a photograph, a link to a website, and a description. The rankings newly include inquiries on ICT support for each area.

In many inquiries, the criteria have been made stricter according to the new methodology, so although the same values were given as last year, UP received a lower score.

UP performed best in the areas of Waste, Water, and Transportation, where it consistently achieved 75% of the maximum possible scores. UP’s biggest challenge is Energy and Climate Change, where it only managed to achieve 47% of the possible points.

The number of green spaces on the campuses, such as the park near the UP Faculty of Science building at the Envelopa campus and the UP Centre for Education and Science Park on the Šlechtitelů Street Campus, as well as the pedestrian paths throughout the parks and the UP campus, also resulted in extra points.

Maximum points were obtained in the area of health care for employees and students as well as in the area of support for students with special needs. Similarly, UP has a high standard of wastewater and toxic waste management.

The ranking also considers the existence of a website focused on sustainability and the associated strategic documents – the Sustainability Strategy and the Sustainability Report.

However, UP missed out on possible points due to incomplete records of research projects focused on sustainability, where it scored a mere 10 out of a possible 200 points.

Rankings of Czech universities in 2024

All in all, universities in the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom have performed best. Again, first place went to Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, followed by the UK’s Nottingham Trent University, and University of Groningen in the Netherlands completed the triad of the top three most environmentally friendly schools. More information can be found here.