The University of the South Pacific (USP) has been ranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings for 2022. This is an incredible result for the premier university of our region. This ranking consolidates USP’s ranking in the prestigious THE where it was ranked in the Global Rankings for 2022.
The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where indicators are carefully calibrated to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching.
The Impact Rankings capture universities’ impact on society, based on the institutions’ success in delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Impact Rankings showcase the work being delivered by universities demonstrating the difference a university is making to sustainability in the future.
Participation in the overall ranking requires universities to submit data for at least four SDGs, one of which must be SDG 17 – Partnerships for Goals. The overall score is generated from the score for SDG 17, plus the three strongest of the other SDGs for which data is provided.
USP submitted data for the following SDGs in November 2021 for the 2022 rankings: SDG17: Partnership for the Goals; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 13: Climate Action; SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
The results revealed USP’s overall score of 70 out of 100 and an Overall Rank of 401-600 out of 1406 institutions.
I am incredibly proud that the University has been recognised for its commitment to SDG achievements for the Pacific region.
It reaffirms USP’s standing as the premier education institution in the region. This ranking is a testament to the excellence that pervades our University. It is a recognition of the sheer hard work and determination of our researchers. This is an accolade for all USP staff, students and alumni who have continued to demonstrate what our region can accomplish.
Once again, as members of the University community we are extremely proud. This calls for a celebration!. I acknowledge the hard work of all academic and support staff who have been at the forefront of creating solutions and making lasting changes in our communities.
These rankings validate the excellence of our institution and the resilience of our people. This is all the more remarkable given that the THE is an independent body that judges and benchmarks us against global universities.
USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, in announcing the results this morning
USP scored over 50 (out of 100) in research for SDGs 4, 13, 14, 16 and 17, reflecting the quality and relevance of our publications to the SDGs.
Under SDG 4, USP scored highly at over 80 on ‘Lifelong learning measures’, which highlights lifelong learning opportunities through the provision of public resources, public events, vocational training events, education outreach activities beyond campus, and the existence of policy to ensure access to lifelong learning.
Under SDG 7, USP scored high, over 70 on ‘Energy use density’, which is the energy used per floor space of University buildings in 2019.
Under SDG 13, USP scored 100 for ‘Environmental education measures’ that demonstrate activities around local education projects and collaborations on climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation, including disaster planning reflecting the engagement and collaboration by the University on climate change action locally, regionally and internationally.
USP scored highly at 75 under SDG 14 for ‘Supporting aquatic ecosystems through action’ which includes work on maintaining ecosystems and their biodiversity and over 85 for ‘Local ecosystem maintenance’.
For ‘University Governance measures’, ‘Working with Government’, such as the provision of expert advice to Government and participation in Government research, and ‘Percentage of graduates in law and civil enforcement’ related courses under SDG 16, USP scored almost 80, 85 and over 75 respectively.
Finally, under SDG 17, which is considered the mandatory SDG, USP scored 100 per cent for ‘Relationships to support the goals’ reflecting USP’s relationships with regional NGOs and international collaborations for SDGs.
More information on the Impact Rankings 2022 methodology can be accessed here: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/impact-rankings-2022-methodology
Timeframe for data collection for the Impact Rankings 2022 spanned from January to December 2020 and in some cases, 2019 due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.