Chulalongkorn leads Thailand in QS sustainability 2026 as Lund tops global ranking

The QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026 were officially released on November 18, 2025, marking the fourth edition of the assessment that measures the “sustainability performance” of higher education institutions worldwide.

This year’s ranking saw the largest participation on record, with almost 2,000 institutions from 108 countries and territories — a clear sign that universities across the globe are placing growing emphasis on their social and environmental impact.

The ranking evaluates universities across three core dimensions — Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance — complemented by five additional lenses: international student fees, scholarships, student diversity, English-language assessment and academic assessment.

Unlike declarations of intent, the QS Sustainability ranking focuses on evidence-based outcomes, examining how institutions demonstrate real-world commitment to sustainable development. 

This includes alumni contributions to climate-related science and technology, and the societal impact of research aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 2026 report shows clear upward momentum for Thai universities, with 10 institutions making notable climbs in the global table.

The Top 10 Thai universities in the 2026 sustainability ranking are:

• Chulalongkorn University – 1st in Thailand, 165th globally, score: 85.5
• Chiang Mai University – 2nd in Thailand, 302nd globally, score: 77.5
• Mahidol University – 3rd in Thailand, 310th globally, score: 77.0
• Thammasat University – 4th in Thailand, 430th globally, score: 71.6
• Kasetsart University – 5th in Thailand, 467th globally, score: 70.3
• Prince of Songkla University – 6th in Thailand, 475th globally, score: 70.0
• Khon Kaen University – 7th in Thailand, 476th globally, score: 69.9
• King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang – 8th in Thailand, 490th globally, score: 69.2
• Suranaree University of Technology – 9th in Thailand, 701st globally, score: 61.6
• Walailak University – 10th in Thailand, 737th globally, score: 60.6

Lund takes the top spot – UCL jumps to third place

In the global arena, Lund University (Sweden) surged to No.1, overtaking the previous champion, the University of Toronto, now ranked second. Meanwhile, University College London (UCL) made a remarkable jump from fifth to third.

Significant reshuffles appeared throughout the global top 10.

• The London School of Economics (LSE) soared from 39th to 6th, also securing No.1 globally in Environmental Impact and Governance.
• University of New South Wales (UNSW) climbed to 7th.
• McGill University in Canada rose to 9th.

By contrast, former leaders ETH Zurich and University of California, Berkeley both dropped to joint 11th.

The United States recorded the highest number of ranked institutions at 240, followed by China (163), the United Kingdom (109) and India (103). Notably, the UK stands out for having 30 institutions in the global top 100 — nearly twice that of the US.

A surprising highlight came from New Zealand, which achieved the highest average score across all five lenses, demonstrating strong and consistent sustainability performance despite its smaller system size.