American University of Sharjah (AUS) has been recognised among the world’s leading institutions for sustainability in the 2025 Sustainable Campus Index, published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
AUS secured second place globally in curriculum and sixth place in research, the highest positions ever achieved by a university in the Middle East. The recognition highlights the university’s growing global impact and its commitment to aligning education and research with pressing environmental and social challenges.
The Sustainable Campus Index draws on data from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a framework used by more than 1,200 institutions in 52 countries to measure sustainability performance. AUS has rapidly advanced in this ranking system, moving from a Bronze rating in 2018 to Silver in 2021 and achieving Gold in 2024.
UAE leader in sustainability
Alongside its global ranking, AUS was named the top performer in the UAE. The university also received an exclusive mention in the Institutional Highlights section of the index for its Transformative Sustainability Project (TSP).
Led by Kristina Katsos, Senior Instructor in the Department of International Studies, and Dr. Kristen Highland, Head of the Department of English, the project connected nearly 1,500 students and 16 faculty pairs across four universities in the UAE and the US. It integrated the UN Sustainable Development Goals into teaching and enabled students to collaborate virtually on shared sustainability challenges.
“Earning second place globally in curriculum and sixth in research, two key areas of AUS’ institutional strategy, reflects the scale of sustainability work happening across AUS,” said Omar Alnuaimi, Director of Sustainability at AUS. “These results show that sustainability and innovation are not in conflict. At AUS, they reinforce one another—our students are learning to tackle urgent global challenges while also driving forward the UAE’s innovation-focused economy.”
Expanding research and programmes
AUS has invested heavily in expanding its sustainability-focused academic and research activities. The university has increased graduate offerings by 33 percent in recent years, launched new PhD programmes in areas such as environmental engineering, and opened research centres dedicated to topics ranging from social enterprise and sustainable development to AI-enabled smart cities.
It has also established a Materials Research Core Facility, a state-of-the-art laboratory equipped with advanced tools for materials research and analysis with direct applications to sustainability.
AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser praised AUS for its leadership. “The Sustainable Campus Index recognises institutions making significant contributions in key areas of sustainability,” she said. “AUS’ results this year highlight the university’s clear commitment to integrating sustainability into teaching and research at a global standard.”
Global and regional impact
Currently, 22 percent of AUS courses are focused on or inclusive of sustainability. Nearly half of graduates complete degree programmes that require sustainability literacy, while 35 percent of faculty are engaged in sustainability-related research.
These achievements align AUS with major international frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, reinforcing its role as a key driver of sustainability in the Middle East and beyond.
For more details on AUS’ sustainability work, visit www.aus.edu/sustainability. Information on the Sustainable Campus Index can be found at www.stars.aashe.org.
