Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad), one of Indonesia’s leading public universities located in Bandung, West Java, continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainable development by making meaningful contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through excellence in education, research, community engagement, and institutional governance.
This commitment has once again received international recognition. In the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, Unpad achieved a remarkable milestone by securing 100th place globally among 1,603 participating universities worldwide, with an overall score of 89.3 out of 100. This represents a significant improvement from its previous position in the 201–300 global band, reflecting the university’s growing capacity to translate sustainability principles into measurable institutional impact.
The achievement demonstrates Unpad’s strengthened performance in embedding sustainable development across all aspects of the university’s mission—from education and research to community service, institutional governance, and strategic partnerships at both the national and international levels. Rather than focusing on a single area of excellence, the ranking highlights the university’s comprehensive approach to integrating sustainability throughout its academic and operational activities.
Four SDGs Ranked Among the World’s Top 50
A key driver of Unpad’s overall performance was its outstanding results across several Sustainable Development Goals, with four SDGs placing among the world’s top 50:
- SDG 2 – Zero Hunger: 18th globally
- SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: 42nd globally
- SDG 5 – Gender Equality: 43rd globally
- SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation: 44th globally
These achievements demonstrate Unpad’s success in addressing critical global challenges, including food security, gender equality, access to clean water and sanitation, and strong institutional governance, through the implementation of the university’s Tridharma—education, research, and community engagement. The breadth of these accomplishments illustrates that sustainability at Unpad is not confined to individual initiatives but is embedded across multiple disciplines and institutional functions.
In accordance with the THE Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026, Unpad’s overall ranking in 2026 was primarily driven by its strong performance in SDG 2, SDG 16, and SDG 6, together with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), which serves as the mandatory indicator for all participating institutions. The university’s extensive partnerships with government agencies, industry, civil society organizations, and international institutions have played a crucial role in expanding the reach and impact of its research, innovation, and community service programs.
Yudi Ahmad Faisal, S.E., CIFP., Ph.D., Head of the Strategic and Reputation Advancement Unit at Universitas Padjadjaran, stated that this achievement reflects the university’s impact beyond academic excellence alone.
“This achievement demonstrates that Unpad’s impact is reflected not only in the quality of its education and research, but also in its tangible contributions to addressing national and global challenges through innovation, community engagement, and sustainability-oriented governance. Reaching the Top 100 globally in the THE Impact Rankings 2026 further strengthens Unpad’s commitment to becoming a world-class university that creates meaningful benefits for society,” said Yudi.
This achievement further reinforces Universitas Padjadjaran’s position as one of Indonesia’s leading universities in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Looking ahead, Unpad remains committed to strengthening cross-sector partnerships, enhancing the quality of sustainability-oriented education and research, and expanding the impact of its community engagement initiatives to generate lasting benefits for communities in Indonesia and around the world.