External Benchmarking

Each year, UBC is recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for its leadership in sustainability and its culture of environmental responsibility across operations and workplace practices.

Led by UBC Human Resources, the UBC Okanagan Sustainability Office provides campus-specific content to UBC Campus and Community Planning, which coordinates the submission to Human Resources in support of the university’s nomination.

The QS sustainability rankings evaluate how well higher education institutions are addressing global environmental, social and governance challenges. Indicators include institutional sustainability, education and research outcomes, as well as social impact measures such as equality, knowledge exchange and quality of life.

Led by UBC’s Strategic Benchmarking team within the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, with collaboration from the UBC Sustainability Hub, the ranking draws on data from various sources—including the Annual Sustainability Report for UBC Okanagan-specific metrics.

UBC began participating in this ranking in 2022.

Published by the Sustainability Office, shift Magazine highlighted UBC Okanagan’s progress toward institutional sustainability goals.

It provided a broad, accessible overview of key initiatives, achievements, and partnerships that demonstrate how the campus is advancing UBC’s sustainability commitments over time.

• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings assess universities worldwide based on their progress toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals , highlighting their social and economic contributions.

Led by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation’s Strategic Benchmarking team, the UBC Okanagan Sustainability Office compiles operational data—such as campus energy use, waste, water and floorspace—which is submitted to UBC Campus and Community Planning for coordination with the university-wide submission.

EXPLORE AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

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UBC’s leadership in sustainability is consistently recognized with top marks in third-party rating systems.

Since 2004, Times Higher Education (THE) has been a trusted source of performance data on universities, helping students, families, academics, university leaders, governments, and industry understand the global performance of higher education institutions. Times Higher Education’s university rankings highlight different missions and successes in higher education, offering valuable insights into institutional performance worldwide.

UBC’s contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a key focus, with Times Higher Education assessing our social and economic impact through these metrics. The UBC Sustainability Office plays an integral role by submitting annual operational data to inform UBC’s overall rankings.

UBC’s Rankings

Ranking Categories

• Overall Ranking: Measures institutional performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook using 13 carefully calibrated indicators.
• Impact Ranking: Evaluates universities’ contributions to the UN SDGs using indicators across research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching.
• SDG 13 – Climate Action: Assesses research on climate change, energy usage, and preparations for climate change impacts.