IIT-Bombay is the best educational institution in India in the inaugural QS World University Rankings: Sustainability released today. A total of 15 Indian universities ranked in the list with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay featuring in the 281-300 rank range, followed by IIT-Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University at the third rank. QS World University Rankings: Sustainability ranking is a new framework to evaluate how universities are taking action to tackle the world's most pressing environmental and social issues.

This year, experts evaluated over 1300 higher education institutions meeting specific eligibility requirements, out of which 700 institutions appeared on the final ranking list. Fourth rank has been saved for the University of Delhi which features in the 381-400 rank range and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur is on the fifth spot.

Jadavpur University became the only state-run varsity from India to feature in the QS Sustainability World Ranking 2023. A JU spokesperson said on Thursday that the ranking is based on sustainability performance focusing on environmental and social impacts of the higher education institutes and has considered metrics like sustainable education, sustainable research, equality, knowledge exchange and impact of education.

"It is a matter of pride for us. JU had figured at the top among the leading universities in the country in several rankings in the past years. I dedicate this ranking to our faculty, researchers, students and staff. Despite being a state university and not getting much central help, our stakeholders are working in pursuit of excellence. We have to strive for more success," he told PTI. Globally, the University of California, Berkeley has taken the lead in sustainability as it has achieved top scores in both the Environmental Impact and Social Impact categories, each contributing 50 per cent of the overall score.

It is followed by two Canadian institutions, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. The US dominates the rankings with 135 ranked universities, while the United Kingdom is the second-most represented country, with 67 universities ranked. Germany is the third-best for overall representation, with 39 universities, followed by China with 37 and Australia with 33.

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