The University of Eastern Finland was ranked 39th in the UI GreenMetric ranking comparing more than a thousand universities worldwide.
The University of Eastern Finland maintained its 2023 ranking position in the international sustainability ranking UI GreenMetric and was ranked 39th among nearly 1,200 universities worldwide.
“Maintaining our last year’s position is a good achievement, as competition intensifies at the top. Our score is a bit higher than last year, and it is also worth noting that more than 100 new universities participated in this year’s ranking,” the university’s Sustainable Development Specialist Maiju Eskelinen says.
This was the eighth time the University of Eastern Finland participated in the UI GreenMetric ranking. The ranking compares universities based on how well they take environmental responsibility and sustainable development into consideration in their activities. Evaluation is carried out in several categories, including setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, and education and research. Universities are required to provide clear evidence of the measures they’ve taken, and of their continuous improvement.
In the latest ranking, the University of Eastern Finland was given full points in the waste management and water use categories. The university also performed well in the category relating to energy use and climate change mitigation, where it was ranked 27th. In the education and research category, the University of Eastern Finland was ranked in the top 50.
For the University of Eastern Finland, the setting and infrastructure category, which measures social sustainability and the greenery of the campus areas, has been the most challenging one. In social sustainability, the university’s performance is excellent. However, when it comes to greenery, i.e., green spaces, planted vegetation and forests, it is difficult to improve performance, because the campuses of the University of Eastern Finland are compact and urban, despite being located in the immediate vicinity of green spaces.
More information on the ranking is available on the UI GreenMetric website.