Heriot-Watt's commitment to sustainability drives significant rise in QS ranking

Heriot-Watt University has risen 277 places in the 2025 QS World Rankings: Sustainability to become 211th globally, 42nd in the UK and 8th in Scotland.

The rankings offer valuable insight into institutions demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability. It assesses over 1,700 universities across three key metrics: environmental impact, social impact, and governance. Heriot-Watt’s strong performance marked significant progress across all three metrics, playing a key role in its increase.

Research across the University is tackling critical issues of climate change and Heriot-Watt’s, COP 28 Climate Hub, based in the University's Dubai campus last year, brought together more than 20 strategic partnerships to specifically showcase how the institution is facilitating policy, knowledge-exchange, and developing research and technology for climate action.

Earlier this year, the University published its Climate Action Framework, outlining targets for carbon emissions cuts through community empowerment across its global campus in shaping the future of sustainability.

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer Deputy Principal for Global Sustainability welcomed the results:

“Our significant rise in the QS Sustainability University Rankings is a testament to the inspiring work of our University community in creating environmental and societal change. Sustainability is a core guiding principle at Heriot-Watt, shaping our decision-making at every level.

Heriot-Watt's purpose-driven values, embedded in our Global Environmental Sustainability Strategy, are evident in our teaching, research, knowledge exchange, and community engagement. Our Commitments to Sustainability, Climate Action Framework and the student-led Sustainability Forum, are just some of the ways we are positively driving real change by creating informed, effective, and ethical advocates.”

The QS World University Rankings: Sustainability offers insights into how institutions are committed to sustainability alongside research contributions aligned with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The rankings also assess universities’ social and environmental impact as hubs of education and research, as well as their performance as major employers striving for operational sustainability.