Maple News reports THE 2026 Sustainability Impact Ratings, which measure how closely universities align with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This year, two Canadian institutions—Queen’s University and the University of Alberta—break into the global top 10.
The rankings assess four pillars—research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching—across more than 1,600 universities worldwide, evaluating progress toward goals such as no poverty, climate action, and gender equality.
THE published the rankings on June 23, 2026.
Canada stands out as the only North American country in the global top 10 in 2026. A total of 20 Canadian universities appeared in THE’s global ranking, with four among the top 20. Nationally, Queen’s University sits first, followed by the University of Alberta, Western University, and McMaster University. Globally, Queen’s is ranked 4th, the University of Alberta 10th, Western 12th, and McMaster 18th. Other Canadian universities in the list include the University of Victoria (global 27), Simon Fraser University (52), Université Laval (68), York University (78), Dalhousie University (90), and Lakehead University (101–200).
This year, Queen’s moved up two places in the national ranking, while the University of Alberta fell by two. Where ties occur, THE uses an equals sign to indicate that two institutions share the same rank based on identical overall scores.
In addition to the top-line rankings, the data highlight Canada’s strengths in sustainability-focused areas such as Sustainable Cities, Industry & Innovation, Life on Land, Climate Action, and related SDGs. The results underscore Canada’s reputation for robust higher-education programs centered on sustainable development, offering prospective students strong options for study abroad and research opportunities with a clear ESG emphasis.