UniSZA Jumps 40 Rungs, Approaching World's Top 100

KUALA NERUS, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) has climbed 40 places to rank 109th globally in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2026 up from 149th the previous year thereby strengthening its position within the global sustainability agenda.

In a statement today, UniSZA noted that this achievement places the university just nine spots away from the top 100 most sustainable universities worldwide, in a ranking that involved 2,016 institutions from across the globe this year.

According to the statement, UniSZA also recorded a significant improvement at the Asian level, rising from 80th place in 2025 to 57th in 2026.

Domestically, UniSZA maintained its 9th-place ranking out of 1,249 institutions listed in the UI GreenMetric 2026, cementing its status among the country's top institutions for sustainability performance.

UniSZA vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Fadzli Adam said this achievement demonstrates efforts to strengthen the university's sustainability agenda are bearing fruit, driven by the collective commitment of the entire university community.

“The leap from 149th to 109th place globally is not merely a ranking achievement; it reflects the collective effort and commitment of the entire UniSZA community.

“For UniSZA, sustainability is not just about rankings or figures. What is more important is how sustainability principles are translated into university development, campus management, education, research, innovation, and our relationship with the community," he said.

Fadzli said UniSZA would continue to strengthen its sustainability agenda as an integral part of the university ecosystem encompassing campus development, education, research, innovation, and community engagement while encouraging active participation from all responsibility centres (PTj), academic and administrative staff, and students.

He added that this achievement reflects the university's efforts to embed sustainable development into its institutional practices and management, rather than viewing it merely as a ranking milestone.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the UniSZA Sustainability Secretariat, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azman Azid, noted that the improved ranking was supported by a rise in the university's overall score from 8,400 points in 2025 to 8,587.5 points in 2026, an increase of 187.5 points.

He said this achievement provides a solid foundation for UniSZA to further improve its performance through high-impact actions, strengthened evidence, and more systematic data management.

"We do not merely want to accumulate points, we want every sustainability initiative to bring about visible and measurable change," he said.

He noted that the evolution of the assessment criteria which now includes Governance & Digitalization demonstrates that the sustainable campus agenda has broadened to encompass governance, data management, and the responsible use of digital technology.

The UI GreenMetric World University Rankings evaluates institutional performance across key areas such as infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, education, and research, alongside new developments in governance and digitalization.

This achievement strengthens UniSZA's position within the global higher education sustainability landscape, while demonstrating the university's commitment to integrating sustainable development into governance, education, research and innovation, digitalization, campus operations, and community engagement.

--BERNAMA