The University of Toronto has just been ranked as the best educational institution anywhere in the globe in terms of sustainability.

U of T took the top spot in the sophomore list of the world's most sustainable universities from global higher education analysts Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

The ranking evaluated 1,397 universities across 95 countries and territories — more than doubling the number of institutions included in the pilot report — on a range of criteria, including social impact and environmental impact/governance, and how they are working to tackle pressing global challenges.

It was Toronto's highest house of education that came out on top, with U of T beating out the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in second place and The University of Manchester in the third spot.

U of T president Meric Gertler said in a statement that the university "is absolutely delighted by this recognition of our global leadership in sustainability."

"It is a wonderful tribute to the excellence of the many U of T faculty, students, staff and alumni who are dedicated to meeting every aspect of this great challenge of the 21st century," said Gertler, noting that the school is "demonstrating that effective action is possible, on our campuses, in our communities and around the world."

U of T was one of 31 Canadian universities included in the ranking.

Canada was well-represented at the upper tiers of the list of most sustainable universities, with more entries in the top 10 than any other country — despite countries like the United States and China having several times as many universities ranked as Canada.

QS noted the country is home to the world's most sustainable higher education system overall, and ranked among the world's three strongest-performing countries across four of QS' nine metrics, excluding countries with fewer than ten ranked universities.

Only Australia earned a higher average score than Canada.

Leah Cowen, U of T's vice president of research, innovation, and strategic initiatives, celebrated the new ranking, saying the institution "bring[s] the best and the brightest from all backgrounds from around the world and across disciplines to create new knowledge and solutions to advance the human condition."

It's just the latest accolade for U of T, which has found its way into the top-ranked universities across several categories in 2023.

U of T placed #27 in the 2023 edition of the QS World University Rankings by subject back in March.

QS' 2oth edition of the World University Rankings this past June ranked U of T as the top university in Canada, and the second-highest ranked public university in North America, sitting at 21st out of 1,499 universities globally.

In August, U of T was ranked 2nd place in British scientific journal Nature's annual university ranking, ahead of esteemed schools like Oxford and Yale Universities, and behind only Harvard.

That same month, Shanghai Ranking released its 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities, where U of T placed 24th globally and first in Canada.

Most recently, in October, U of T held onto its position as the most prestigious school in Canada, taking the top spot nationally and 21st best globally in the 2024 World University Rankings by subject.