Following a 26 per cent increase in the number of universities participating in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, Queen’s managed to maintain a top 10 spot.
Queen’s secured the eighth spot this year, a drop from its third-place position last year. THE Impact Rankings assess universities based on their contributions to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“The University’s continued success in the Impact Rankings reinforces Queen’s position as a leader in global sustainability and societal progress. The visibility the rankings have provided Queen’s has opened doors for collaboration and opportunities to have even more impact,” the University said in a statement to The Journal.
The University achieved their top 10 spot by placing first in SDG 2—”Zero Hunger” or addressing food insecurity. Several programs and organizations, many of which are student-led, contributed to this effort.
The Swipe It Forward program allows students with dining hall meal swipes to donate one meal per day to another student facing short term food insecurity.
Additionally, Soul Food is a student-run organization that delivers extra food from campus dining halls to four local homeless shelters every night. Soul Food raises public awareness about food insecurity, waste alleviation, and responsible food consumption.
The AMS Food Bank, a student-run service, runs every weekday for one hour to distribute food to those facing food insecurity in the Queen’s community. The AMS Food Bank collaborates with other Kingston entities to help alleviate food insecurity on campus.
In addition to addressing food insecurity, Queen’s placed third in SDG 16—Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions or fostering a peaceful and inclusive society that encourages principles of justice, ability, and inclusivity. Queen’s ranked seventh in SDG 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities, highlighting the City of Kingston’s strong performance in public transportation, green spaces, and environmental sustainability.
“For the fourth consecutive year, Queen’s has demonstrated how research, teaching, and outreach initiatives are helping to shape a better future and address the world’s most pressing challenges,” the University said.
In addition to their top-ten achievement in THE Impact Ranking, Queen’s recently saw an ascent in another ranking, the 2025 QS World University Ranking, rising from 209 to 193 place globally. The QS World Ranking evaluates universities on academic reputation, employment outcomes, sustainability, and other metrics. Each category is given a score of one through 100.
In line with their success in THE Impact Ranking, Queen’s highest ranked category in the QS World Rankings was Sustainability, at 93.8. The lowest ranked category was Faculty Student Ratio, at a score of 5.4. These categories, along with seven other measurements, gave Queen’s and a score of 46.8.
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