Australian institutions have dominated Times Higher Education¡¯s Impact Rankings for the fourth time in five years, claiming three of the top five places in the global assessment of universities¡¯ efforts to meet the United Nations¡¯ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Western Sydney 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ was named the world¡¯s most impactful higher education institution, gaining the highest overall score for the fourth consecutive year.

¡°Western is showing the world the way,¡± said vice-chancellor George Williams. ¡°We reflect our community and we are part of it. Universities around the world are being urged to return to their primary role as public sector organisations delivering public good.¡±

Griffith 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ tied for fourth, up from 24th?last year and 72nd?in 2023. The 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Tasmania slipped to equal fourth from second in 2024, but topped the individual tables for?the SDGs ¡°climate action¡± and ¡°life on land¡±.

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Griffith achieved top-10 results in five of the 17 SDGs. ¡°We¡¯re led by our values and prioritise innovation and social impact in our teaching and research,¡± said Jennifer Boddy, dean of sustainability and rankings. ¡°It¡¯s heartening to see fellow institutions on the same path.¡±

Of the 24 Australian universities represented in this year¡¯s exercise, 10 ranked within the overall world top 50. Another six made the top 200 in a table of over 2,500 institutions. As in previous years, the table was not dominated by research universities with global brands.

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UNSW Sydney was the only university in the Group of Eight (Go8), top 100 habitu¨¦s in most league tables, to receive an overall score in this year¡¯s Impact Rankings. Most Go8 members did not submit material for assessment.

Heavyweight research universities elsewhere also steered clear. Of the 20 top institutions in the latest World 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a lone presence in the Impact Rankings, appearing in the 201-300 band.

Angel Calderon, director of strategic insights at RMIT 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, said prestigious universities worried about reputational damage if they entered the Impact Rankings and failed to perform well. They were also wary of the rankings¡¯ ¡°volatility¡±, which he attributed to methodological changes and the variable quality of the data provided by institutions.

Calderon said ¡°improved stability¡± in the results might encourage more top-flight universities to participate. ¡°Elite and research-intensive universities are likely to do well, since research metrics account for 27 per cent of the score for each SDG,¡± he said.

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¡°These assessments equip academics and university leadership with invaluable information to drive improvement. It should be part of a university¡¯s social contract to showcase how they are working towards addressing environmental, social and economic challenges.¡±

UNSW Sydney ranked fourth in Australia and 11th?globally. ¡°We¡¯re very proud¡­that we submit for this ranking, because we see our value to society as manyfold,¡± said Verity Firth, vice-president for societal impact, equity and engagement.

¡°We can compete in rankings [based on] more traditional academic output, but we also know we can compete very successfully [on] the impact of our work. I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s an either-or situation.¡±

Australia¡¯s neighbours also notched top results in the Impact Rankings. Indonesia¡¯s Universitas Airlangga was rated ninth in the world, up from 81st?in 2024. Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang ranked 14th?and the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Auckland 28th.

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Fiji National 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of the South Pacific ranked in the 801-1,000 band, while the Papua New Guinea 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Technology debuted in the 1,500-plus band.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com