MU's history in the QS Sustainability Rankings

In the third edition of the ranking, the number of evaluated institutions increased by 24%, representing by now 1,744 universities from 107 countries. Masaryk University stands as the top-ranked Czech institution, positioned 215^th globally.

MU scored best in the Good Governance lens, securing a shared 53^rd place in global comparisons. The ranking appreciated university values enshrined in its strategic documents, the existence of student associations and unions, student representation in the Academic Senate, and the existence of Council for Sustainable Development. Reputation survey results from academic perspectives also contribute to the assessment.

Knowledge Exchange emerged as another strong lens, with a global position of 126^th place. It appearwd helpful to MU the provizion of lifelong learning, online programs for the public, outreach initiatives, and events. Universities were also recognized for collaborative publishing activities with institutions in developing countries.

The most significant year-on-year improvement happened in the Impact on Education lens, where MU advanced 188 places (from 578^th last year to 390^th this year). The evaluation within this specific lens draws data from Scopus database, academic reputation surveys, national education and academic freedom statistics, and the notable educational achievements of its graduates.

In 2023, Masaryk University improved its year-on-year position and ranked 161st overall. In the national comparison, it ranked 1st among all Czech universities. In the Environmental Impact category it was ranked 215th in the world, in the Social Impact category 186th and in the new Governance category 117th.

The ranking has undergone several significant changes. The number of individual metrics has been expanded to 53 and a whole new Governance category has been created. The number of metrics for which the evaluated institutions provide evidence has increased. They can thus influence up to 24% of the overall score. The university's contribution to the protection of the environment now influences 45% of the overall score, the area of social impact also influences 45% and the newly monitored area of institutional governance influences 10%. The number of published institutions has doubled in the second year and the admission criteria have also been relaxed.

Masaryk University's strongest indicators in 2023 include Knowledge Exchange (score 91.3 out of a possible 100), Good Governance (score 89.6), Environmental Research (score 87.4) and Health and Wellbeing (score 86.7).

In the first edition of the ranking, Masaryk University ranked in a shared position 281st - 300th. It ranked 198th in the Environmental Impact category and 369th in the Social Impact category.

Only 700 institutions were published in the pilot year. The prerequisites for inclusion were inclusion in the main QS World University Rankings, a minimum level of sustainability-related research and the existence of a publicly available strategy containing measures to mitigate environmental impacts.

At its inception, the ranking contained 37 individual metrics grouped into 8 broader indicators, which were further grouped into two wide categories. Thus, half of the rankings assessed the environmental contribution of universities and half assessed the Social contribution of universities.