University sustainability rankings 2025/26
Universities are under increasing pressure to be kinder to the environment. But how many are taking action? These university rankings reveal the best and worst places for sustainability.
Credit: Tetiana Shumbasova (background) – Shutterstock
The general UK university rankings can tell us a lot. But, when it comes to some of the issues we really care about, like (a big one!) the planet, they can fall a bit short.
If you've been wondering how sustainable your university is, wonder no more. Here are the comprehensive results charting the environmental and ethical performance of unis in the UK.
How the university sustainability league is calculated
These rankings were compiled by People & Planet and included 147 universities across the UK.
As you can see in the results below, each university has been given a total percentage score. This is worked out based on their performance in 14 categories:
- Environmental policy and strategy
- Environmental auditing and management systems
- Managing carbon
- Sustainable food
- Ethical investment and banking
- Ethical careers and recruitment
- Staff and HR
- Workers' rights
- Staff and student engagement
- Education for sustainable development
- Energy sources
- Waste and recycling
- Carbon reduction
- Water reduction.
Each university's scores across all categories are combined, with some categories carrying more weight than others. An overall total percentage is calculated, and the higher the total percentage, the higher the ranking.
Most sustainable universities in the UK
These are the 10 most sustainable universities in the UK:
- Manchester Metropolitan University – 82.6%
- Bath Spa University – 80.2%
- University of West London – 78.1%
- University of Reading – 77.1%
- University Salford – 77%
- Bournemouth University – 75.6%
- University of Greenwich – 73.5%
- De Montfort University – 73.1%
- University of Worcester – 72.2%
- Cardiff Metropolitan University – 71.9%.
Wondering how Manchester Metropolitan University managed to come out top in these rankings? They scored 100% for environmental policy, 100% for auditing and EMS, 100% for sustainability staff and 100% for carbon reduction. Wow.
While places like Manchester Metropolitan University are leading the way in terms of sustainability, others, in comparison, are doing much less. Let's hope your uni doesn't appear on the list below.
Least sustainable universities
These are the 10 worst universities for sustainability:
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- Royal Academy of Music – 20.2%
- London Business School – 19%
- The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama – 18.8%
- University of St Mark and St John – 18.7%
- Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance – 17.1%
- Birmingham Newman University – 14.9%
- Royal Veterinary College – 13.4%
- University of the Highlands and Islands – 12.6%
- University of Greater Manchester – 11.3%.
- Ravensbourne University London – 7.4%
Scoring 0% across 11 categories, including sustainable food, carbon reduction and ethical investment, Ravensbourne University London is placed 147th out of 147 universities.
But, it's important to note that, if People & Planet can't find information for some categories (i.e. if the university hasn't made some info public), they will give them a score of zero. So, we hope Ravensbourne University London may be a bit more sustainable than the results suggest.
If you've not seen your university yet, check out the full university league table for sustainability below.
Full university league table for sustainability
These are the full university sustainability rankings:
| Ranking | University | Total score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester Metropolitan University | 82.6% |
| 2 | Bath Spa University | 80.2% |
| 3 | University of West London | 78.1% |
| 4 | University of Reading | 77.1% |
| 5 | University of Salford | 77% |
| 6 | Bournemouth University | 75.6% |
| 7 | University of Greenwich | 73.5% |
| 8 | De Montfort University | 73.1% |
| 9 | University of Worcester | 72.2% |
| 10 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 71.9% |
| 11 | University of Bedfordshire | 71.4% |
| 12 | Birmingham City University | 71.1% |
| 13 | Swansea University | 69.3% |
| 14 | University of The West of England, Bristol | 68.9% |
| 15 | Liverpool John Moores University | 68.6% |
| 16 | University of Northumbria at Newcastle | 67.8% |
| 17 | London School of Economics And Political Science | 65.9% |
| 18 | University of The Arts London | 65.4% |
| 19 | King's College London | 65.2% |
| 20 | Nottingham Trent University | 64.6% |
| 21 | University of Plymouth | 63.3% |
| 22 | Wrexham University | 63.2% |
| 23= | University of Bristol | 62.8% |
| 23= | Coventry University | 62.8% |
| 25 | Bangor University | 62.2% |
| 26 | University College London | 61.6% |
| 27 | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | 61.4% |
| 28= | University of Exeter | 61.2% |
| 28= | SOAS, University of London | 61.2% |
| 30 | Arts University Bournemouth | 60.9% |
| 31 | York St John University | 60.7% |
| 32 | University of Liverpool | 60.4% |
| 33 | Glasgow Caledonian University | 60.2% |
| 34= | University of Manchester | 59.8% |
| 34= | University of Oxford | 59.8% |
| 36 | University of Essex | 59.7% |
| 37 | Aberystwyth University | 59.6% |
| 38 | Royal College of Music, London | 59.2% |
| 39 | The Open University | 58.9% |
| 40 | University of South Wales | 58.6% |
| 41 | Canterbury Christ Church University | 58.5% |
| 42 | Anglia Ruskin University | 58.3% |
| 43= | Cardiff University | 58% |
| 43= | Durham University | 58% |
| 45 | University of Warwick | 57.2% |
| 46 | Leeds Beckett University | 57.1% |
| 47 | University of Huddersfield | 57% |
| 48= | University of Bradford | 56.8% |
| 48= | Oxford Brookes University | 56.8% |
| 50 | Queen's University Belfast | 56.7% |
| 51 | University of Gloucestershire | 56.4% |
| 52 | University of Sunderland | 56.3% |
| 53 | Keele University | 55.5% |
| 54 | University of Leeds | 55.4% |
| 55 | Edinburgh Napier University | 55.2% |
| 56= | Loughborough University | 55.1% |
| 56= | Robert Gordon University | 55.1% |
| 56= | Sheffield Hallam University | 55.1% |
| 59 | University of Lincoln | 55% |
| 60 | Royal College of Art | 54.9% |
| 61 | Queen Mary University of London | 54.5% |
| 62 | University of Lancashire | 54.3% |
| 63 | University of Kent | 53.9% |
| 64 | Edge Hill University | 53.8% |
| 65 | Newcastle University | 53.6% |
| 66 | University of East London | 53.5% |
| 67 | Brunel University London | 53.4% |
| 68 | University of Brighton | 53.3% |
| 69 | Imperial College London | 53.1% |
| 70 | University of Derby | 52.7% |
| 71 | Lancaster University | 52.3% |
| 72 | University of East Anglia | 51.8% |
| 73 | Ulster University | 51.7% |
| 74 | Middlesex University | 51.3% |
| 75 | Birbeck, University of London | 51.2% |
| 76 | University of Westminster | 51% |
| 77 | University of Bath | 50.9% |
| 78 | Leeds Arts University | 50.6% |
| 79= | Royal Holloway, University of London | 50.3% |
| 79= | University of York | 50.3% |
| 81 | University of Leicester | 50.2% |
| 82 | University for the Creative Arts | 48.7% |
| 83 | University of Sheffield | 48.6% |
| 84 | University of Birmingham | 48.5% |
| 85 | Buckinghamshire New University | 48.4% |
| 86 | University of Nottingham | 48.3% |
| 87 | Aston University | 48.2% |
| 88= | City, University of London | 47.9% |
| 88= | University of Hertfordshire | 47.9% |
| 90 | University of Southampton | 47.5% |
| 91 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 47.4% |
| 92 | Solent University | 47.3% |
| 93 | University of Sussex | 47.1% |
| 94 | Cranfield University | 46.6% |
| 95 | University of Winchester | 46.4% |
| 96 | University of Portsmouth | 46,.3% |
| 97 | University of Glasgow | 45.7% |
| 98 | University of Aberdeen | 45.3% |
| 99 | Kingston University | 45.1% |
| 100 | University of Cambridge | 44.7% |
| 101 | Liverpool Hope University | 44.,5% |
| 102 | Falmouth University | 43.8% |
| 103 | St Mary's University, Twickenham | 43.4% |
| 104 | University of Edinburgh | 43.2% |
| 105 | Staffordshire University | 42% |
| 106 | University of Northampton | 40.7% |
| 107= | London Metropolitan University | 40.5% |
| 107= | University of Strathclyde | 40.5% |
| 109 | Glasgow School of Art | 40.2% |
| 110 | University of Surrey | 39.5% |
| 111 | Leeds Trent University | 38.5% |
| 112 | The Institute of Cancer Research | 38.3% |
| 113 | University of The West of Scotland | 38.1% |
| 114 | Roehampton University | 37.5% |
| 115= | Heriot-Watt University | 35.3% |
| 115= | University of Chichester | 35.3% |
| 117 | Goldsmiths, University of London | 34.9% |
| 118 | London South Bank University | 34.7% |
| 119 | Abertay University | 33.9% |
| 120 | Teesside University | 33% |
| 121 | Bishop Grosseteste University | 29.9% |
| 122 | University of Dundee | 29.5% |
| 123= | University of Stirling | 29.2% |
| 123= | University of Cumbria | 29.2% |
| 125 | University of Wolverhampton | 29.1% |
| 126 | University of St Andrews | 28.4% |
| 127 | Norwich University of the Arts | 27.1% |
| 128 | University of Hull | 25.9% |
| 129 | Queen Margaret University | 25.7% |
| 130 | University College Birmingham | 25.3% |
| 131 | University of Suffolk | 24.9% |
| 132 | University of Chester | 24% |
| 133 | Royal Agricultural University | 23.8% |
| 134 | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine | 22.1% |
| 135 | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music And Dance | 21.9% |
| 136 | Harper Adams University | 21.4% |
| 137 | Royal Northern College of Music | 20.6% |
| 138 | Royal Academy of Music | 20.2% |
| 139 | London Business School | 19% |
| 140 | The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | 18.8% |
| 141 | University of St Mark and St John | 18.7% |
| 142 | Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance | 17.1% |
| 143 | Birmingham Newman University | 14.9% |
| 144 | Royal Veterinary College | 13.4% |
| 145 | University of the Highlands and Islands | 12.6% |
| 146 | University of Greater Manchester | 11.3% |
| 147 | Ravensbourne University London | 7.4% |
How to live sustainably on a budget
Sometimes, it can feel like an impossible task to save the environment and your bank account. But, thankfully, there are ways to live more sustainably without spending a fortune.
One easy way to cut down on plastic waste and save money in the process is to no longer buy cups of coffee or bottled drinks.
Buying a reusable container like a travel coffee cup will make a big difference. Some coffee shops also give you a discount for using your own cup (find out more in our guide to getting free coffee).
Also, you can avoid food waste (and the extra cost of replacing out-of-date food) with some careful changes to how you buy and store food.
On top of this, make sure you know what you can and can't recycle.
There are even things you can recycle for money, such as clothes, plastic bags, mobile phones and more.
Find out more in our guide to the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. The tips can help you save (or even make) money.
