This rise from 80th in last year’s rankings reflects our continued commitment to environmental and social responsibility.
The QS rankings provide students with a unique insight into which institutions are demonstrating a commitment to a more sustainable existence. It assesses universities across three key metrics: Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance.
Loughborough’s performance was particularly strong in the Social Impact category, where we ranked 46th globally, and in Environmental Impact, where we achieved 84th place.
The University was ranked 10th in the UK for Environmental Sustainability, thanks to initiatives such as the decarbonisation of the swimming pool, our operations and our Sustainability Strategy.
These results demonstrate the University’s dedication to sustainability across education, research, and operations.
Loughborough achieved an overall score of 92.5/100, up from 88.3 last year.
This improvement reflects the hard work of our staff, students, and partners in embedding sustainability into everything we do. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this success.
Professor Dan Parsons, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: “We are delighted to welcome this recognition of Loughborough University’s sustainability leadership. Rising to 64th place globally in the QS World University Rankings for Sustainability reflects the outstanding dedication and commitment of our staff, students, and partners. Initiatives such as our institution-wide LED upgrade, modernising every light fitting to cut carbon and deliver a five-year return on investment, and the £2.6 million decarbonisation of our swimming pool, replacing gas boilers with high-efficiency air-source heat pumps, demonstrate the scale of our ambition. We are also proud that our campus has once again achieved the prestigious Green Flag Award for high-quality, well-managed sustainable and biodiverse green spaces. Together, these achievements show how our community is driving meaningful, measurable progress towards a more sustainable future for all.”
Read the full QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026.