Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
4 Korean universities break into global top 20 in THE sustainability rankings
The front view of Hanyang University's main building in Seongdong District, Seoul / Korea Times file
By Jung Da-hyun
Hanyang University ranks 6th globally
LONDON — Four Korean universities made it to the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026's top 20, with Hanyang University ranking sixth globally in results that underscore the rising international standing of Korean higher education.
According to the rankings released Wednesday, Hanyang University was the highest-ranked Korean institution, followed by Korea University at joint 12th, Pusan National University in Busan at joint 16th and Kyungpook National University in Daegu at joint 20th. Hanyang’s rise was particularly notable, as it climbed from joint 44th last year to the global top 10.
The results were announced as part of THE’s newly rebranded Sustainability Impact Ratings, formerly known as the Impact Rankings. The framework evaluates universities’ contributions to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), assessing areas such as poverty reduction, health, education, gender equality, climate action, innovation and partnerships.
Unlike traditional university rankings that focus heavily on research output, citations and institutional reputation, the Sustainability Impact Ratings assess how universities contribute to society through teaching, research, community engagement and the management of their own resources.
The relaunch is aimed at strengthening the long-term stability of the assessment, improving benchmarking and building a global network of universities committed to sustainability and social impact, according to THE.
A total of 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories were assessed across one overall ranking and 17 SDG-specific categories.
The University of Manchester topped the overall rankings, ending Western Sydney University's four-year run at the top of the predecessor Impact Rankings. Australia's Griffith University placed second, followed by Western Sydney University in third and Canada's Queen's University in fourth.
Asia was the most represented region in the assessment, accounting for 962 universities, or more than half of all participating institutions. Five universities in the region placed in the global top 10 and topped eight of the 17 SDG categories.
Universiti Sains Malaysia ranked fifth overall, followed by Hanyang University in sixth. Japan’s Hokkaido University and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia shared seventh place, while National Taiwan University placed joint 10th.
While U.K. universities dominated the individual SDG tables, securing five outright first-place finishes and three joint top rankings, Korean institutions also delivered strong performances across several categories.
Korea University placed first globally for SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, while Yonsei University's Seoul campus was one of eight universities worldwide to jointly rank first in SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure.
Phil Baty, THE's chief global affairs officer, said the results demonstrate that excellence in sustainability and societal impact is increasingly being achieved by universities across a wide range of regions and institutional types.
He added that the rankings highlight how universities are being assessed not only on academic excellence, but also on their contributions to addressing social, economic and environmental challenges.