33 French institutions ranked in the THE impact ranking 2024

Every year since 2019, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings publishes a ranking of universities according to their impacts on achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals. Indicators used are in relation with four main areas: research, management, awareness-raising and teaching. In 2024, the THE Impact Rankings examined 2,152 institutions from 125 countries (vs 1,705 institutions in 2023).

According to the information website of the France 2030 plan, this ranking is important in the way that it offers “universities a unique opportunity to showcase their activity contributing to the establishment of a more sustainable and fair society”. The same website adds that “today, it is acknowledged that higher education and research institutions contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, especially through important work in partnership with the main players of society”.

Two French institutions in the Top 100

It is first the case of the two first institutions ranked in the Top 100. At the first French place (and 21st place of the general ranking) is Institut Agro, the national institute of higher education for agriculture, food and the environment, a member of the Campus France Forum present on three campuses, in Montpellier, Rennes-Angers and Dijon. Institut Agro carries out its “activities in close collaboration with research entities, universities and other major institutions, and players of the socio-economic world (public and private), in France and worldwide”.

At second French place (and 86th world level) is IMT Atlantique, also a member of the Campus France Forum, a major school of generalist engineering present in Brest, Nantes and Rennes, which also claims having the mission to provide its students with “the skills necessary for a promising career, to tackle the issues you are facing: climate change, reindustrialisation of the country, a more inclusive society”.

14 schools and universities in the Top 400

In addition to these two institutions in the Top 100 are 12 additional schools and universities in the Top 400. They all are institutions already well committed in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals:

Montpellier University (3rd French place, between 101st and 200th international place), labelled University Centre of Innovation, is an “organisation able to make more readable the offer of transfer of knowledge and technologies and streamline relations and partnerships between the public and private sector”;

Paris Sciences et Lettres - PSL (4th French place, between 101st and 200th international place), located in the heart of Paris, offers “a training course at the closest of research led in laboratories, while fostering the circulation between disciplines and institutions.  It trains to critical thinking and encourages creativity. It chooses its students based on their potential and talent. It defends equality of chances and promotes social, cultural and geographic diversity”;

Aix-Marseille University (5th French place, between 201st and 300th international place), is defined as the “biggest French-speaking multidisciplinary university” and makes “living well together a priority”, with “affirming its commitment for sustainable development in all its aspects, human, environmental and patrimonial”;

Ecole des Mines de Saint-Étienne (6th French place, between 201st and 300th international place), is dedicated to training generalist engineers and provide high level specialities, and deploys research oriented towards industry and also ensure “a leading role in accompanying companies in industrial transition”;

IMT Mines Alès (7th French place, between 201st and 300th international place) is part of the “ten schools of engineering having the longest history in France”. Funded in the 19th century to train executive in the mining industry, the school “has constantly developed and adapted to the changes of the industrial world and society”. Today, its motto is: “Science and creativity to invent a sustainable world”;

IMT Nord Europe (8th French place, between 201st and 300th international place), an institution that is “among the major players of ecological and social transition in the landscape of major institutions and universities”;

Institut Mines Télécom - Business School (9th French place, between 201st and 300th international place) for which “the implementation of a sustainable development policy and social responsibility is part of the objectives of the strategic plan of the school, in order to have a true impact on the programmes, on the campus as site and on the institution as brand in the sector of higher education and research, and on the territory”;

Nantes University (10th French place, between 201st and 300th international place), an “a sustainable and committed institution, and player of the changes of society” that “promotes a complete and original policy in favour of open science, open education, and open innovation”;

Bordeaux University (11th French place, between 201st and 300th international place) wants to “stand out through its capacity to experiment for environmental and social transitions, and through its commitment in favour of well-being during studies and work”;

Excelia (12th French place, between 301st and 400th international place), a group of international institutions in which the “diversity aspect” of the CSR policy “talks about critical sensitive topics to live together in a concerted manner: inclusion, prevention and fight against discriminations, professional equality between men and women and equal opportunities”.
 

Rising momentum

14 additional institutions are included in the Top 1000:

from 401st to 600th international place: Centrale Nantes, CY Cergy Paris University, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, EDHEC Business School, emlyon Business School, Sorbonne University;
from 601st to 800th international place: Arts et Métiers, INSA Lyon, University of Côte d’Azur, University of Rennes 1;
from 801st to 1000th international place: ESSCA Ecole de management,  Jean Moulin (Lyon 3) University, Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1) University, Polytechnique des Hauts-de-France University.

From the 1001st to 1500th place, seven additional institutions are in the Top 1500: ENSTA Bretagne, IMT Mines Albi, Panthéon-Assas (Paris 2) University, Bretagne Occidentale University, Lille University, Audencia school and CESI school of engineering.

The French ministry of higher education commented the results saying that the 33 institutions ranked show a “rising momentum” of performances from French institutions. This “unwavering commitment to fight climate change and inequalities, and in favour of sustainable development and social responsibility” also shows “through ambitious research programs, the development of new training courses and a priority equality policy”.