The University of Pretoria (UP) has secured the 10th spot in the world and the top position in Africa and South Africa in the Governance category in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Sustainability Rankings, announced in November. This milestone highlights UP’s institutional leadership, transparency and stakeholder-governance practices.

This is the fourth edition of the rankings, which measures performance across various aspects related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as adopted by the United Nations. The latest rankings feature 2 002 universities – a 14.5 % increase from previous years. The first edition (2002) ranked 700 universities, the second (2023) 1 403, and the third (2024) 1 751. The number of ranked universities in Africa increased from 70 to 83, while the number of ranked universities in South Africa remained at 13.

Overall, UP is now ranked 220 globally and improved its overall score from 80.8 in 2024 to 82.8 in 2025. In Africa and South Africa, the University retained its place in third position despite a 19% increase in the number of ranked universities in Africa.

In terms of the overall score, UP improved across three areas: Environmental Impact (ranked 270 globally), Social Impact (232), and Governance (10). The University is also ranked in the top 50 globally for Knowledge Exchange (36), and in the top 350 worldwide for Environmental Impact, Environmental Education (100), Social Impact, Equality (329), and Impact of Education (300).

“Achieving a global ranking of 10 in Governance and leading Africa in this dimension underscores our commitment to robust leadership, inclusive decision-making and strong institutional stewardship,” said Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP. “Our placement in the top 50 globally in Knowledge Exchange demonstrates how we are translating research into real-world impact through partnerships, community engagement and industry collaboration. These achievements resonate directly with our strategic objectives, especially our focus on governance, knowledge exchange and institutional impact. Strong governance is not simply a compliance matter; at UP, it is a foundational enabler of transformation. Knowledge exchange is the bridge between discovery and deployment, connecting our students, staff, external partners and society to ensure that the knowledge generated here flows beyond our campus and contributes meaningfully to Africa and the world.”

Within South Africa, the University topped the rankings in the Governance category; placed second in Environmental Education and Knowledge Exchange; third in Impact of Education; and fourth in Environmental Research, Environmental Sustainability, Employability and Opportunities, and Health and Well-being.

Notably, only two universities in South Africa (including UP) improved their global ranks in Employability and Environmental Research. This improvement signals that UP is strengthening the relevance and labour-market alignment of its academic programmes while increasing the visibility and impact of its environmental research outputs. It also demonstrates that UP’s investments in transdisciplinary sustainability research, innovation ecosystems, work-integrated learning and graduate employability initiatives yield measurable results on a global level, even in a significantly more competitive ranking environment.

“This achievement belongs to every member of the UP community: our academic staff, professional and administrative staff, students, researchers, partners and alumni,” Prof Petersen said. “Each contribution – whether in teaching, research, operations, governance, community engagement or student success – has played a vital role in strengthening UP’s sustainability performance and global reputation. Congratulations and thank you for advancing the University’s mission with excellence, resilience and shared purpose.”

>> Read UP’s 2024 Sustainably report

>> Read UP’s 2024 SDG report