Top 15 ranking for the University of Exeter as it’s celebrated as one of the most sustainable in the country
Concerted action to support a ‘greener, healthier and fairer’ future has resulted in the University of Exeter being ranked inside the top 15 higher education institutions in the country and named the second most sustainable.
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 – one of the most respected annual league tables in the country – has placed Exeter 14th out of 133 universities in this year’s table.
The University was also named runner-up for Sustainable University of the Year in recognition of its success in embedding sustainability into the heart of its strategy and educational curriculum, and devoted academic expertise to tackling urgent global challenges.
The publication today of The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 confirms that Exeter is placed comfortably inside the top 20 of the three main national league tables this year.
Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “It’s great to see the University of Exeter retain its top 15 position in these rankings, showing that we continue to deliver high-quality education and research as we strive to address the challenges of creating a greener, healthier, fairer society.
“To be considered as one of the top two most sustainable universities in the country shows the enormous strides we have made to respond to the climate emergency and ecological crisis, and to instil the principles of sustainability across our academic endeavours.”
Among the factors cited for Exeter’s sustainability recognition were its reputation for world-leading research, such as on global tipping points, conservation and biodiversity in both marine and terrestrial environments, the importance of an emerging circular economy, and nurturing green technologies.
In education, the University has embedded sustainability in modules across its curriculum and launched several groundbreaking flagship degrees. These include the BA/BSc (Hons) in Global Sustainability and the BA (Hons) Environmental Humanities, both delivered from the Penryn campus. Exeter students can also engage with numerous co- and extracurricular opportunities, such as the global Future17 challenge with QS.
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide ranks higher education institutions according to indicators such as student satisfaction with teaching quality and their wider student experience, research quality, graduate prospects, and entrance qualifications held by new students.
For more information on The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, visit their website.
