THE Impact Rankings 2025: University of Freiburg 2nd place nationally in overall ranking
Freiburg, 18/06/2025
The THE Impact Rankings measure the impact of universities in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Internationally the University of Freiburg has moved up and is now in the range 201-300 (2024: 301-400) – nationally it ranks one place higher than last year.
The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings assess the impact of universities in relation to 17 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University of Freiburg took part in ten sustainability rankings in the THE University Impact Rankings 2025 (SDG 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17).
In the overall ranking, from ten universities nationally, the University of Freiburg shares second place with one other university. Internationally it is in the range 201-300 from over 2300 institutions. This is an improvement on last year for the University of Freiburg, when it was nationally in 3rd place and internationally in the range 301-400.
The overall score combines the score in SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals), which is obligatory for overall ranking, with the University of Freiburg’s best three results from the other 9 SDGs for which it provided data: SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 15 (life on land) and 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure): In the Top 40 internationally
The highest score was achieved by the University of Freiburg for SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) with 98.9 of 100 possible points. Compared internationally with over 1100 institutions, it holds joint 39th place. Ranked nationally it is the third-best university in the overall ranking. In SDG 9 the German ranking is as last year headed by a number of technical universities, which do not however meet the requirements for inclusion in the overall ranking. This SDG takes into account research in the field of SDG 9, patents that cite research from the university, spin-offs and research income from industry.
SDG 15 (life on land): Internationally in the range 101-200
In the SDG 15 (life on land) ranking, from over 800 institutions the University of Freiburg is listed internationally in the range 101-200. Besides the University of Freiburg, two other German universities took part in the SDG 15 ranking that are in the same range as the University of Freiburg and nationally share the same place. This SDG ranking is determined by among other things research into land ecosystems, educational programs, events and policies in the context of SDG 15 and guidelines on environmentally-friendly disposal of waste.
SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions): Second place nationally
For SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) the University of Freiburg achieved 2nd place nationally and is in the international range 101-200 from over 1200 institutions. The SDG 16 ranking looks at among other things research achievements in this field, the university’s internal governance structures, political advisory activity and the number of graduates in legal studies.
SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals): Third place nationally
In SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) the University of Freiburg together with one other university holds 3rd place nationally and is international in the range 601-800 from over 2300 institutions. This assesses among other things research in the field of SDG 17, cooperation with governmental and non-governmental institutions in relation to the United Nations’ sustainability goals, publication of SDG reports and sustainability-related courses.
Methodology of the THE Impact Rankings
Universities are included in the SDG rankings for which they submit data. To be included in the overall ranking, data must be provided for at least four SDGs, one of which must be SDG 17. Assessment in the individual SDGs is based on a range of benchmarks and metrics, which are explained on the THE Impact Rankings website (Impact Rankings 2025: methodology explained).
SDG 17 accounts for 22 per cent of the total score, while the other SDGs each carry a weighting of 26 per cent. The score from each SDG is scaled to adjust for minor differences in the scoring range in each SDG. These scaled scores are used for the overall ranking. The score for the overall ranking is an average of the past two years’ total scores.