In the QS Sustainability Ranking 2024, the University of Cologne is ranked 2nd out of 48 German universities and 78th out of 1,403 universities internationally. The ranking relies on various indicators in the area of sustainability, which are weighted differently and then combined to form an overall rating.
“I am delighted with the positive result. It underlines the great efforts that the University of Cologne is already making in the field of sustainability," said Professor Dr Kirk W. Junker, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development at the University of Cologne.
The Sustainability Ranking compares universities in the three categories ‘Environmental Impact’, ‘Social Impact’ and ‘Governance’. The category ‘Environmental Impact’ considers the indicators ‘Environmental Education’, ‘Environmental Research’ and ‘Environmental Sustainability’. The category ‘Social Impact’ consists of the indicators ‘Employability and Outcomes’, ‘Equality’, ‘Health & Wellbeing’, ‘Impact of Education’ and ‘Knowledge Exchange’. In the category ‘Governance’, different elements of best practice in terms of ‘Good Governance’ are evaluated.
The University of Cologne achieved a particularly high ranking for the indicators ‘Environmental Sustainability’ (ranked 46th internationally), ‘Equality’ and ‘Health & Wellbeing’ (each ranked 72nd internationally).
"The high ratings show that we are on the right track and have already successfully implemented important measures such as determining our CO2 footprint and adopting a sustainability strategy. At the same time, there is still a lot of potential, which is why we are taking further steps toward more sustainability at the University of Cologne," said Dr Pamela Kilian, head of the UoC Sustainability Office.
Media Contact:
Dr Pamela Kilian
Head of Sustainability Office
+49 221 470 3808
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Dr Anna Untertrifaller
Ranking coordinator
+49 470 2453
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Press and Communications Team:
Jan Voelkel
+49 221 470 2356
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