Sustainability Awards and Rankings

In FY 2020-2021,  UC campuses were ranked as leaders in sustainability by a wide range of organizations and publications.

Download the full list of 2020-2021 UC campus rankings, ratings, and awards (pdf).

Highlights from 2020–2021:

• UC Irvine was ranked #2 in the nation in the Sierra Club's "Cool School" ranking.
• UC Santa Cruz was ranked #3 in the Princeton Review 2021 Top Green Colleges ranking.
• UC Merced ranked #1 top performer in Buildings for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's (AASHE) Sustainable Campus Index (pdf). 
• UC Riverside ranked #6 top performer in Waste for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's (AASHE) Sustainable Campus Index (pdf).
• UC Santa Barbara earned a Gold rating for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2021 Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS).
• UC Davis ranked #5 in the 2021 UI GreenMetric World University Ranking.
• All 5 of UC’s Health Systems were awarded the Environmental Excellence Award from Practice Greenhealth for achieving high standards of excellence for sustainability programs.
• UC Berkeley received a Mayoral Proclamation (pdf) recognizing the student-led effort in the 2021 Cal Move Out for its leadership and environmental commitment to reducing waste.
• UCLA received 5 awards for sustainable transportation, including a 2021 Green Fleet Award from NAFA, Commuting Options in Public Transit Award from ACT, the 2021 Organization of the Year from the International Parking and Mobility Institute, a 100 Best Fleets recognition from NAFA, and a 2021 Best Workplaces for Commuters recognition.
• UC San Diego received the 2020 Outstanding Environmental Analysis Document Award (pdf) from the California Association of Environmental Professionals for the 2018 Long Range Development Plan for the UC San Diego La Jolla campus.