Thai universities reap the rewards of commitment to sustainable development

Thai universities perform strongly in the 2021 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, reflecting a commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings were published today, representing the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Impact Rankings utilise carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach and stewardship. The 2021 edition includes 1,115 universities from 94 countries.

As part of THE Consultancy’s ongoing engagement with 35 Thai universities to help identify and track activities that contribute to the SDGs – run in partnership with Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) – we have undertaken an analysis of the performance of Thai universities in the 2021 Impact Rankings.

A remarkable year for Thai universities

A total of 25 Thai universities placed in the 2021 Impact Rankings, with two universities featuring in the top 100 for the first time. Chulalongkorn University came in 23rd place, while King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi ranked 54th. Three Thai universities placed in the 101-200 bracket, each marking a significant increase in position since 2020. These universities were the Asian Institute of Technology, Mahidol University and Chiang Mai University.

This is an outstanding achievement for the Thai university system, demonstrating its real-world impact on important societal challenges.

Alongside the strong performance of these specific universities, THE Consultancy is delighted to see 25 universities place in the rankings, up from 18 in 2020. Through our collaboration with MHESI, we have been aware of the strong commitment to sustainably developing the Thai university system, as well as to the Impact Rankings themselves.

We know that MHESI is committed to seeing the number of participating universities grow, as well as for their performance to continue improving. THE Consultancy looks forward to helping these remarkable achievements continue.

The table below details the performance of Thai universities in the THE Impact Rankings for 2021 and 2020.

World-leading impact

Chulalongkorn University placing in 23^rd positions it as the highest ranked university not only in Asia but among all universities outside Europe, North America and Oceania. Chulalongkorn University was particularly successful in SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land), placing in the top 10 global universities for each of these SDGs.

Another incredible achievement for the Thai education system is reflected in the fact that King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi placed highest in the world for SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy). King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi excelled in many of the indicators for this SDG, receiving a maximum of 100 marks in 11 of the 15 indicators, which are listed below:

• Energy-efficient renovation and building
• Upgrade buildings to higher energy efficiency
• Carbon reduction and emission reduction process
• Plan to reduce energy consumption
• Energy wastage identification
• Divestment policy
• Local community outreach for energy efficiency
• 100 per cent renewable energy pledge
• Energy efficiency services for industry
• Policy development for clean energy technology
• Assistance to low-carbon innovation

Additionally, Mahidol University placed in the top 10 for SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Each of these achievements reflects the positive impact these universities are having on both a local and global level.

A key concern for students

Ahead of the release of the 2021 Impact Rankings, THE Consultancy conducted a survey of our THE Student Pulse panel of prospective students from around the world to assess their views about sustainability and the SDGs. Reflecting a broad understanding of the priorities of Generation Z, our findings show that sustainability is a key issue for students when deciding where to study.

Our research showed that four in five students said it was important for them to live their lives in a way that is consistent with being a sustainable citizen, while the same proportion felt that universities had an important role to play in achieving the SDGs. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 9 per cent of students selected the university’s commitment to, and reputation for, sustainability as the most important factor when deciding where to study, ahead of factors including teaching quality and tuition cost.

Given the importance that students place on sustainability, the strong performance of Thai universities in the 2021 Impact Rankings represents not only a positive outcome for their impact on the world, but a remarkable opportunity for Thai universities to demonstrate their impact to prospective students. Having such a positive impact will no doubt make Thai universities an attractive proposition to prospective students.

Contact the Times Higher Education Consultancy team for more information about the Impact Rankings as well as how it provides strategic, data-driven guidance to universities and governments globally.