Aga Khan University (AKU) has been ranked 55th among 1,498 higher education institutions worldwide by the Times Higher Education 2024 Impact Rankings. This prestigious ranking highlights AKU’s substantial contributions to environmental sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth, and partnerships, with a particular emphasis on promoting good health and well-being.
The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encompassing all 13 SDGs. AKU’s high ranking is largely attributed to its exceptional performance in SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being. The university’s research, health-related student graduation rates, and collaborations with health services have all been recognized as significant contributors to this achievement.
AKU’s faculty members have been prolific in publishing research related to various SDGs, with a notable emphasis on SDG 3. Between 2017 and 2023, the university’s bibliometric analysis revealed over 2,500 publications dedicated to good health and well-being. In 2022 alone, nearly 80 percent of faculty publications were aligned with the SDGs, underscoring the global relevance of AKU’s scholarship.
Dr. Salim Virani, AKU Vice Provost, praised the university’s research capacity, stating, “If we examine the past, we see that research at AKU has grown rapidly in volume, quality, diversity, recognition, impact, and research. If we examine the present, it is clear that the university’s research capacity is impressive.”
The Times Higher Education commended leading universities like AKU for their broad-based excellence in sustainable development. “These leading universities are recognized for their overarching impact across multiple dimensions of sustainable development, making significant contributions to creating a sustainable and resilient future. Their broad-based excellence underscores the importance of holistic approaches to global challenges and highlights the critical role of academia in driving sustainable change,” stated the organization.
