UGM Climbs to 41st in THE Impact Rankings 2026

Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has recorded a significant leap in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2026. The university climbed 41 places and now sits at 41st in the world, up from its previous position of 82nd.

This achievement marks a new milestone for UGM in global rankings based on social and environmental impact. In this year’s assessment, UGM achieved an overall score of 93.2 out of 100. Last year, the university was ranked 82nd globally out of 1,603 top universities evaluated.

UGM Rector Ova Emilia expressed her appreciation to the entire academic community for the improvement. She assessed that the achievement demonstrates UGM’s strengthening role in integrating the sustainability agenda into education, research, community service, and institutional governance.

‘This achievement shows the strengthening of academic reputation as well as UGM’s commitment to sustainable development at the international level,’ Ova said on Thursday (25/6).

UGM’s rise in the THE Impact Rankings 2026 was driven by strong performance across several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators. The THE Impact Rankings assessment is based on universities’ real contributions, including institutional reporting and bibliometric data from Elsevier. Participating universities are required to submit data for a minimum of four SDG categories, including SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals as a mandatory component.

Beyond the four main SDGs used to calculate the overall score, UGM also recorded excellent performance in several other categories. Within the global Top 50, UGM placed 27th for SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 29th for SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

UGM also entered the global Top 100 in a number of other SDG categories. For SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, UGM was ranked 51st. For SDG 4: Quality Education, UGM placed 60th. Furthermore, UGM was ranked 86th for SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and 90th for SDG 14: Life Below Water.

At the national level, UGM also recorded top achievements in several indicators. The university ranked first nationally for SDG 7 with a score of 71, SDG 12 with a score of 81.7, and SDG 17 with a score of 90.7.

According to Ova, these results reflect UGM’s strength as a higher education institution that places sustainability principles at the core of its institutional strategy. ‘This achievement demonstrates UGM’s strength as a university that integrates sustainability principles into education, research, community service, and institutional governance,’ she stressed.

This success in the THE Impact Rankings 2026 complements UGM’s achievements in other global rankings. Previously, UGM also recorded a rise in the QS World University Rankings (QS WUR) 2027, moving from 224th to 206th in the world. With these achievements, UGM strengthens its position not only in global academic reputation but also in its contribution to sustainable development, reaffirming the role of higher education in addressing social, economic, and environmental challenges at both national and international levels.