VSU retains its position in THE Impact Rankings with an improved overall score

With an improved overall score this year, the Visayas State University kept hold of its 1001-1500 spot in the University Impact Rankings 2024 spearheaded by a British think tank called Times Higher Education (THE). 

THE specially designed the University Impact Rankings as a tool that measures the contributions of universities and colleges in the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

According to the THE website, this ranking system identifies and celebrates universities that excel across multiple SDGs—that being included in this roster not only exemplifies how each institution stands out in individual areas but also demonstrates comprehensive excellence in contributing to global sustainable development.

And by excelling in a variety of SDGs, these universities showcase their commitment to addressing the world's most pressing challenges, including environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth, and partnerships.

A total of 2,152 universities from 125 countries and regions were included in this annual evaluation to produce the overall Impact Ranking for 2024 with Australia’s Western Sydney University topping the global list for the third consecutive year while India becomes the most-represented country in the overall table accounting for 96 ranked institutions.

The Philippines, on the other hand, has seen a huge spike in the number of participating institutions with 56 universities and colleges being listed in 2024, which is a 93% jump from the previous year.

Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) has defended its position as the top university in the country for 3 years in a row in terms of their real-world impact on the fulfillment of the SDGs. 

In the Eastern Visayas region, both Leyte Normal University (LNU) and Samar State University (SSU) were the highest-rated universities in the THE Impact Rankings 2024 with their global rank rated at 801-1000 bracket while VSU follows at the 1001-1500 bracket.

This is the third time that VSU was included in this free and independent ranking system wherein it performed the highest in 3 specific goals namely SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) both obtaining 301-400 spot, and SDG 5 (Gender Equality) where the university got a global rank of 401-600.

It can also be noted that the overall score of VSU has consistently increased for the last three years from 51.7 in 2022 to 53.8 in 2023 and now 58.7 for 2024.

Other universities in the region that were listed in the 2024 edition of the University Impact Rankings are Biliran Province State University (BiPSU), Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), and the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) with all of them getting a global rank of 1501+.

VSU President Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes shared her commitment to push the university further in aligning all its collective efforts towards the achievement of the UN-SDGs.

“Congratulations to all of us #ProudViscans for retaining our global position in the Impact Rankings of the Times Higher Education (THE). While we recognize that we have made significant strides in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is clear that many things are yet to be done in this area to further push our status higher. My stewardship is committed to rallying all our units in this direction and I’m hopeful for the continued support of everyone so that we can make VSU become a Very Sustainable University,” Dr. Yepes said in an interview.

In this evaluation, the biggest room for improvement for VSU is in the area of SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals) which constitutes 22% of the criteria to reflect the university’s efforts in fostering robust international partnerships and cooperation for achieving all the global goals.

Meanwhile, VSU retains its Reporter Status in the 2024 Asia University Rankings along with eight (8) other universities in the country namely Cebu Technological University (CTU), Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NUST), Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU), University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP).

This Reporter Status indicates that VSU is an active participant in the rankings process, even though it has not been officially ranked just yet.

According to a special explainer of THE, the inclusion of institutions with Reporter Status was an attempt to be inclusive by involving universities that submitted data but didn’t meet the criteria as many of these institutions are still growing their capabilities while others are newly founded, or are changing their missions.

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