Times Higher Education, a UK-based higher education magazine, released THE Impact Rankings 2025 on June 18, 2025. Hokkaido University is ranked 44th in the world and has been 1st in Japan for the sixth consecutive year, out of the 2,318 universities included in the overall ranking. THE Impact Rankings assess universities’ contributions to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), evaluating participating institutions based on submitted data and external sources.

Of the 17 SDG targets, Hokkaido University received a particularly high recognition for SDG 2: Zero Hunger, ranking 2nd out of 955 universities worldwide. In addition, the university was ranked within the global top 100 in the following categories: SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (49th); SDG 14: Life Below Water (17th); SDG 15: Life on Land (21st); SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (35th); SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals (41st). All five of these SDGs—2, 14, 15, 16 and 17—achieved the highest national ranking, and SDG 15 has retained first place for four consecutive years.

Founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, Hokkaido University is Japan’s first modern university. The university has promoted field research in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and related fields, leveraging Hokkaido’s rich natural environment. Hokkaido University has developed and implemented its own sustainability strategies, including the Campus Master Plan (1996), the Hokkaido University Initiative for Sustainable Development (2005), and Sustainability Weeks (2007–2016). More recently, the Institute for the Advancement of Sustainability, established in 2021, has been responsible for realizing a green and sustainable campus and promoting SDG activities within and beyond the university. Hokkaido University is also implementing an international sustainability strategy for 2040, aiming to become “a university that contributes to solving global issues.”

For details of Hokkaido University’s “THE Impact Ranking 2025,” please click here.