News

In the latest QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025, which assessed universities’ ability to tackle global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges, Walailak University was ranked 951–960 worldwide out of 1,744 institutions across 107 countries, and 11^th out of 18 Thai institutions.  This achievement marks a significant improvement from the previous year, when the university was ranked 1201+ worldwide out of nearly 1,400 institutions and joint 11^th out of 13 Thai universities. The results for 2025 were announced yesterday (10 December 2024) at 5.00 PM Thailand time on topuniversities.com.

The 2025 QS World Sustainability Rankings evaluated universities through nine performance lenses across three categories. The first category, Environmental Impact, which accounts for 45% of the total score, focused on lenses including Environmental Education, Environmental Research, and Environmental Sustainability. The second category, Social Impact, also accounting for 45%, assessed universities on Employability and Opportunities, Equality, Health and Well-being, Impact of Education, and Knowledge Exchange. The third category, Governance, contributing 10% to the score, evaluated Good Governance practices.

Among these three categories, Walailak University performed best in Governance, ranking 268^th worldwide, 3^rd in Thailand,  and 1^st among regional universities. This reflects the university's commitment to practices such as open decision-making, a holistic ethical organizational culture, student representation on governing bodies, and financial transparency. For the other two categories, Walailak ranked 1001+ worldwide and 10^th in Thailand for Social Impact, and 1001+ worldwide and 12^th in Thailand for Environmental Impact.

When focusing on lenses, Walailak University ranked 392^nd worldwide and 5^th in Thailand for Environmental Sustainability, showcasing its strategic approach and operational excellence toward a sustainable future.

In the Knowledge Exchange lens, the university ranked 682^nd worldwide and 8^th in Thailand, demonstrating its partnerships in research with institutions in developed and developing regions. These collaborations aim to share knowledge, drive educational growth, and positively impact the local community and broader society. 

On the global stage, the University of Toronto from Canada topped the rankings with a perfect overall score of 100. It was followed by ETH Zurich from Switzerland in second place, with a score of 99.6, and Lund University from Sweden and the University of California, Berkeley from the United States tied for third place with scores of 98.8.

In Thailand, Chulalongkorn University led the rankings, placing 168^th worldwide with an overall score of 80.7. Chiang Mai University ranked second (357^th worldwide) with a score of 68.8, and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi ranked third (473^rd worldwide) with a score of 62.9. Walailak University, ranked 951–960 worldwide and 11^th in Thailand, achieved an overall score of 45.1.

Earlier this year, as part of the university’s commitment to embody good governance and drive transformations aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Walailak University received two prestigious awards from the Global Good Governance (3G) Awards. Organized by the UK-based financial intelligence house Cambridge IFA, the awards recognized President of Walailak University, Professor Dr. Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, as the winner of the 3G Award for Advocacy of Social Responsibility in Higher Education, and Walailak University as the recipient of the 3G Excellence Award for Green Campus 2024. Additionally, the university was ranked 101–200 worldwide and joint fifth in Thailand for its contributions to the SDGs according to the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024.