Ranked: 15 Russell Group unis by THE sustainability 2026 – Manchester leads, York scores lowest

University of York and Queen Mary University of London share the lowest sustainability score of any Russell Group university in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, scoring between 73.9 and 77.4, while Manchester ranks first globally with a score of 98.5.

York and Queen Mary’s score sits at least 4.9 points below second-placed Southampton, Nottingham and King’s College London, who all score between 82.3 and 89.2, making them significant outliers at the bottom of the Russell Group.

The sustainability score measures how institutions advance sustainability in alignment with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), covering research, resources, community work and teaching.

The overall score is calculated using each university’s SDG 17 score combined with its three highest scores from the remaining 16 SDGs.

By contrast, Manchester’s 98.5 is the highest score of any Russell Group university, with Exeter at 95.3 and Glasgow at 95.8 both within three points of first place.

Here are 15 Russell Group universities ranked by sustainability overall score, from lowest to highest, according to the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026.

1. University of York – 73.9-77.4

2. Queen Mary University of London – 73.9-77.4

3. University of Southampton – 82.3-89.2

4. University of Nottingham – 82.3-89.2

5. King’s College London – 82.3-89.2

6. University of Edinburgh – 89.6

7. Newcastle University – 90.1

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8. University of Liverpool – 90.7

9. University of Bristol – 91.8

10. Durham University – 91.8

11. University of Leeds – 92.2

12. Queen’s University Belfast – 93.4

13. University of Exeter – 95.3

14. University of Glasgow – 95.8

15. University of Manchester – 98.5

The ranking does not include nine other Russell Group universities: University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Imperial College London, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, University College London (UCL) and University of Warwick.

According to the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026 methodology, universities are required to provide and sign off their institutional data for inclusion in the rankings.

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Featured image via Unsplash