On June 18, 2025, Times Higher Education (THE) officially released the THE Impact Rankings, which assess universities worldwide on their contributions to achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this edition, National Economics University (NEU) continued to make its mark by rising to the 301-400 band globally, maintaining its presence in the rankings for four consecutive years.

In 2025, 2,526 educational institutions from numerous countries and continents participated, an increase of 563 institutions over the previous year. A total of 16 higher education institutions from Vietnam were included, with NEU remaining among the institutions with a global impact.

NEU was assessed against four SDG criteria, ranking in the top 20 for one and the top 50 for another.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

NEU also ranked 11th worldwide and was the only university in Vietnam in the top 100. The University scored 87.5 points for this indicator, well above the global average of 49.1 points. This demonstrates that NEU’s working, learning, research, and teaching environment is highly regarded. The University’s governance and educational activities are transparent and comply well with legal regulations.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

NEU ranked 49th worldwide and was one of three universities in Vietnam in the top 100. This result recognizes NEU’s contribution to providing a high-quality workforce for the economy, with its graduate employment rate consistently exceeding 95.6%. Many NEU alumni have become prominent entrepreneurs, leaders, and scientists.

SDG 4: Quality Education

In the 2025 rankings, NEU made a major advance in SDG 4, rising to the 201-300 band globally with 65.9 points, up from the 601-800 band in 2024. This result demonstrates a substantial improvement in the University’s overall quality of education, encompassing teaching, learning, research, and knowledge sharing with the community. Community engagement activities, such as seminars, free courses, and short-term academic programs, also help clearly demonstrate NEU’s role in making knowledge widely accessible and disseminating it throughout society.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

For SDG 17, NEU continued to make progress, ranking in the 301-400 band globally with 72.5 points, well above the global average of 52.7 points. This achievement clearly reflects the University’s strategy of expanding international cooperation and multidisciplinary partnerships to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. NEU has actively built a network of partnerships with international organizations, businesses, and educational institutions in Vietnam and abroad, while participating in numerous global initiatives to promote inclusive and sustainable development.

Across Southeast Asia, participation in the THE Impact Rankings continues to expand. The Philippines currently leads with 113 higher education institutions, followed by Thailand with 83 and Indonesia with 71. Although Vietnam’s participation is more modest than that of neighboring countries, with 16 higher education institutions, it continues to demonstrate clear determination and sustained efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The THE Impact Rankings are global rankings developed by Times Higher Education (THE) to assess higher education institutions’ contributions to realizing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) introduced by the United Nations in 2016. The rankings aim to go beyond academic achievement to measure universities’ real-world impact on society through activities that promote human development, social equity, and environmental protection.

The 2025 edition attracted widespread interest from the global academic community, with 2,526 higher education institutions participating, an increase of 563 over the previous year. This indicates that the trend toward globalization in education is shifting strongly toward prioritizing social impact and sustainability, rather than focusing solely on research or teaching.

Article and photos: Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.