The University of Coimbra is the most sustainable institution in Portugal
Criteria included the positive impact that the Alumni are bringing to science and technology to solve climate issues, as well as the impact of the research being carried out on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
English version: Diana Taborda
The University of Coimbra (UC) was once again considered the most sustainable higher education institution in Portugal and 154th in the world, this time by the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking 2024 (QS WUR), released this Tuesday. This indicator was included for the first time in the QS WUR, with the evaluation of the social and environmental impact of universities as well as teaching and research centres. QS WUR considered criteria such as the impact that the institutions' alumni are making on science and technology to tackle climate problems, or how research is having an impact on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
"Once again, the University of Coimbra is recognised as the most sustainable university in Portugal and one of the most sustainable in the world. We are very proud that this prestigious ranking also acknowledges our endeavours to meet the challenges of sustainability, after having been recognised earlier this month for the fourth year in a row by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings", states the Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão.
In the global classification of QS WUR 2024, which assesses the quality of higher education institutions worldwide according to 9 indicators, the University of Coimbra moved up 87 positions from the previous edition, and is now in 351st place, among over 1500 universities worldwide, the largest number of institutions in this ranking to date. At national level, the University of Coimbra also stood out in the International Students indicator, being ranked the second-best Portuguese university in attracting international students.
On a global level, in addition to Sustainability, the UC also stood out in the indicators International Research Network (153rd place), which reflects the capacity of institutions to diversify the geography of their international research network; Academic Reputation (304th place), which assesses the perception of teachers/researchers worldwide about the best research institutions, and Citation per Faculty (329th place), which measures the average number of citations per faculty member/researcher.
Besides the indicators already mentioned, the QS WUR also assessed the institutions' performance with regard to Employment Outcomes, Employer Reputation, Faculty Student Ratio and International Faculty.