This page relates to the pilot edition of the QS Sustainability Ranking. For the current methodology, please visit here.
This indicator assesses the institution’s impact on research into areas that affect our health and wellbeing as well as those of other living creatures. It looks at the research impact of relevant SDG's, health options on campus and then overlays national-level statistics. We aggregate these to produce a final score.
Weights of the metrics for Quality of Life:
| Metric | Weight (In the lens / Overall) |
| Research Impact of SDG's for Quality of Life | 60% / 3% |
| Health Options on Campus | 20% / 1% |
| Quality of Life National Statistics | 20% / 1% |
Research Impact of SDG's for Quality of Life
We analyse research output produced by institutions, classified by Elsevier as research in SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good health & Wellbeing) and SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation). A score from 0 to 100 per SDG is produced using this methodology, and then averaged into an overall score, subject to at least two of the four mentioned SDG scores being 5 or higher.
Health Options on Campus
Institution gets a score of 0 or 100 depending on whether QS finds enough evidence of healthcare provision options available on campus (medical center, on-site doctors, mental health centre, etc.)
Quality of Life National Statistics
We average the following data points:
- Subjective wellbeing score from the Sustainable Development Report (scaled to 1-100)
- The Yale Environmental Performance Index score (scaled to 1-100)
We provide a 2% boost to the score of the location if they have signed the UN declaration against Torture. The final score after the boost is then normalised and scaled from 1-100.