Top sustainable universities in the US | Top Universities
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Top sustainable universities in the US

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Craig OCallaghan

Updated Jan 16, 2025
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Graduate working on a sustainable farm in California

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.

Country Rank
Global Rank
University
Location
1

Country Rank

=3

Global Rank

Berkeley, United States
2

Country Rank

=19

Global Rank

Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, United States
University Park, United States
2

Country Rank

=19

Global Rank

Stanford UniversityStanford, United States
Stanford, United States
4

Country Rank

24

Global Rank

University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, United States
Philadelphia, United States
5

Country Rank

28

Global Rank

Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, United States
East Lansing, United States
6

Country Rank

33

Global Rank

Cambridge, United States
7

Country Rank

35

Global Rank

Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, United States
Baltimore, United States
8

Country Rank

=45

Global Rank

University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, United States
Los Angeles, United States
9

Country Rank

52

Global Rank

New York University (NYU)New York City, United States
New York City, United States
10

Country Rank

=54

Global Rank

University of Minnesota Twin CitiesMinneapolis, United States
Minneapolis, United States

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.

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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