OU recognised for health and inequalities in THE Impact Rankings 2021

The Open University (OU) has been recognised in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2021 for its impact towards creating a sustainable future.

The evidence based THE Impact Rankings are the only global tables to assess universities against progress towards the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), providing a total of 18 rankings, one for each SDG as well as an overall table.

This is the first time that the OU has appeared in these rankings and it has performed particularly well in SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages and in SDG 10: Reducing income inequality within and among countries.

Over 1,000 universities across the world from 98 countries were analysed in these rankings, which examine universities against their commitment to sustainability at an institutional, local, national, regional, and global level. The teaching, research, public engagement, and stewardship of universities are assessed to ascertain their alignment with the global challenges that our world faces.  

The OU was ranked 401-600 globally in relation to four of the SDGs.