Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has once again achieved outstanding success in sustainability, as reflected in its performance in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025.
This year, UGM ranked 131st globally and secured the 1st position in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in the Good Governance category with an impressive score of 91.5.
The governance indicator, which represents 10% of the total score, has been a key driver in UGM’s advancement in sustainability practices.
Overall, UGM achieved 383rd place globally, a significant leap from its previous ranking of 476th. Notable progress was also seen in two other categories: Environmental Impact, where UGM ranked 358th globally and 2nd in Indonesia, and Social Impact, where it ranked 581st globally and 1st in Indonesia.
This achievement cannot be separated from the efforts of UGM’s academic community through the University Quality Assurance and Reputation Unit (SPMRU UGM), which acts as the implementing body of UGM’s Sustainability Office.
SPMRU UGM is tasked with ensuring comprehensive data collection and reporting, understanding the sustainability indicators in detail, and formulating strategies to improve UGM’s performance in line with ranking criteria in collaboration with all implementing units across the university.
The Head of SPMRU UGM, Professor Indra Wijaya Kusuma, stated that one of UGM’s strategic steps is adopting a comprehensive approach to understanding and fulfilling each ranking indicator.
“Through in-depth studies and close collaboration with relevant work units, SPMRU and the Sustainability Office have successfully guided UGM to meet global sustainability governance standards,” Professor Kusuma said in an interview at the UGM campus on Monday (Dec. 30).
In the QS WUR Sustainability governance metrics, several aspects are assessed, including governance, research, and financial components such as ethics culture, open-access publishing, dedicated staff/team for sustainable development, transparent financial reporting, student union, student representation in governance, published governance minutes, a national signatory to the UN charter against torture, staff perception on institutional ethics, and policy citations (governance).
Through these governance aspects, UGM has demonstrated excellent performance in several indicators, such as ethics, culture, open-access publishing, and student representation in governance.
For instance, UGM prioritizes transparency through publicly accessible reporting systems, such as the whistleblowing platform and routinely published financial reports.
Various programs also support these governance aspects, including ethics culture, where UGM has clear policies on values such as diversity, honesty, and fairness, documented in the university’s strategic plan and disseminated across all organizational levels.
Staff and students are trained on these values. UGM also implements transparent financial reporting, with its financial reports published annually and accessible via its official website.
With these efforts, UGM has successfully improved its governance, as reflected in its high scores in the QS Sustainability Ranking. Student involvement in university governance is also a crucial factor contributing to this score.
“UGM also has student unions representing both undergraduate and postgraduate students, with activities including student participation in decision-making processes at the university level, which the QS Rankings also assess,” Professor Kusuma said.
However, UGM acknowledges challenges that must be addressed to continue improving governance indicators, one of which is ensuring a uniform understanding of business processes across units.
This challenge often makes translating policies into efficient governance systems difficult, particularly in reporting, documentation, and administrative services.
UGM is committed to updating policies and business processes, developing better governance systems, benchmarking against higher-ranked universities, and strengthening efforts to build a shared understanding of the importance of good governance and its impact on the university’s reputation.
In addition, UGM will continue to encourage the participation of its entire academic community in supporting better governance, emphasizing the positive impact of improved university reputation.
This enhancement is expected to open broader opportunities for global collaboration and improve the welfare of the entire UGM community. With this strategy, UGM remains committed to being deeply rooted in its values and advancing as an inclusive and sustainable campus.
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson