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Top sustainable universities in the US
Craig OCallaghan
Updated Jan 16, 2025Save
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Table of contents
Table of contents
Over 200 universities from the United States have been ranked in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability. This ranking assesses how universities perform across both environmental and social sustainability, measuring indicators such as environmental research and equality. More information on how the ranking is compiled can be found in our methodology.
The top 10 American universities this year can be seen in the table below.
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Stanford University
Consistently considered among the top universities in the US, Stanford University was founded in 1885 by California senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, to “promote the public welfare by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilisation”.
That commitment to public welfare is demonstrated in how well they score in our sustainability ranking, performing particularly well for the strength of its environmental education. This commitment to environmentalism perhaps isn't surprising when you consider the fact the university is nicknamed 'The Farm' due to its origins as farmland!
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University is another university with farming foundations, having been established as an agricultural college initially. Today, its most impressive sustainability credentials are social as well as environmental, performing well for employability and opportunities in our latest ranking.
As well as performing well in this ranking, Penn State has a five-star QS Stars rating due to its performance in several categories including teaching, facilities and inclusiveness.
Testimonials
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
Few universities in the world, let alone the United States, are more impressive proponents of sustainability than the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). Prospective applicants to UCB can anticipate an education centred on strong sustainable credentials, all taught on a campus encompassing approximately 1,232 acres of the bay area of San Francisco, including many Beaux-Arts-style buildings which are recognised as California Historical Landmarks.
As well as scoring extremely well for its environmental education, UCB also performs well across the various measures of social sustainability and good governance.
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As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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