ASU ranks No. 1 nationally, No. 2 globally for sustainability
Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
Story highlights
- ASU is No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the world for sustainability in the 2026 Sustainable Campus Index.
- The university earned its fourth consecutive Platinum rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System.
Arizona State University has been ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 2 in the world for sustainability in the 2026 Sustainable Campus Index, earning its fourth consecutive Platinum rating through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, or STARS — ahead of Cornell University, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.
The distinction places ASU among only 19 institutions globally to achieve the highest possible STARS rating and reflects broad performance across academics, climate action, operations, engagement and institutional leadership.
The university also received special recognition for its three-credit sustainability general education requirement, underscoring ASU’s efforts to embed sustainability into the student experience.
“Much like ASU’s ranking as the country’s most innovative university, our top-of-the-charts sustainability ranking is the product of the commitment and creativity of a broad team of Sun Devils across our campuses, from staff to faculty to research scientists and students,” said Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer at ASU. “We all have a responsibility to be good, thoughtful stewards of our planet’s health, and the AASHE STARS survey results demonstrate objectively that Arizona State University is doing its part in both our academic programs and our institutional practices.”
STARS is considered the premier benchmark evaluating higher education performance across academics, research, operations, administration, engagement and innovation. This recognition follows ASU’s strong showing in the latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which named the university No. 1 in the United States for advancing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, ahead of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University and Penn State.
In the Sustainable Campus Index, ASU ranked in the top 10 worldwide in several impact areas:
- No. 2 in energy and climate, ahead of Stanford; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Texas A&M University
- No. 2 in doctoral institutions, ahead of the University of California, San Diego; Stanford; and MIT
- No. 3 in investment, ahead of Berkeley, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Washington
No. 4 in transportation, ahead of MIT, Berkeley and the University of Illinoi
s Urbana-Champaign
- No. 5 in procurement and waste, ahead of Purdue University, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
The university also received an overall STARS score of 91.1.
Participating in STARS since 2011, ASU launched the nation’s first School of Sustainability in 2006, embedding sustainability into every level of its institutional mission.
In addition, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU helps give that work its broader institutional frame, connecting nearly 1,000 scientists and scholars across disciplines to address the complex systems shaping planetary health, community resilience and quality of life. Its role strengthens the story beyond campus sustainability, positioning ASU’s ranking as evidence of a university-wide global futures model.
“This recognition affirms what we know: that addressing planetary habitability requires the whole university — every discipline, every function, every person,” said Peter Schlosser, university vice president and director general of Global Futures at ASU. “The Global Futures Laboratory exists to mobilize ASU’s capacity to provide concrete solutions and leadership for a world facing unprecedented, interconnected challenges. This recognition affirms our approach to envisioning sustainable futures.”
Administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, STARS is a transparent self-reporting framework used by colleges and universities to measure sustainability performance. AASHE’s Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing institutions by overall score, institution type and impact area, including academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.
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