The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) ranked 4th among the universities from Bangladesh and 156th in SDG 17 among 1115 universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking 2021. 

To compile the prestigious global ranking, THE evaluates several aspects of a university’s performance—including teaching, research, outreach, and stewardship (faculty, staff, and alumni)—and further assesses universities against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). THE introduced this impact category in 2019 to give opportunities to teaching universities which do not have the resources of research-intensive universities. 

This was the first time ULAB had participated in this ranking. The application process was supervised by Dr. Jude Genilo, Director of ULAB’s Quality Assurance Cell. Additional to the SDG 17 category (Partnerships for the Goals), ULAB has also ranked in SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health & Well Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) in which the University has been positioned among the top 200 in the world and 2nd in Bangladesh.

Professor Shamsad Mortuza, PhD, the acting Vice-Chancellor of ULAB, said, “Participating in this ranking process has been a learning curve for us”, further adding, “We had to align our policies, curricula, research to see how our faculty and students make a social impact. We changed to bring changes to society to show our commitment to UN SDGs.”.  

Dr. Samiya Selim, Associate Professor and Director of the ULAB Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), said, "Achieving such a high score in SDG 17, which was mandatory for all Universities, and being number 156 out of nearly 1200 Universities really highlights how successful ULAB has been in working on all SDGs with different stakeholders and partners. The Center for Sustainable Development, established in 2006, has been actively working on embedding sustainability in curriculum, campus and community. This is done through their Minor in Sustainable Development, Greening ULAB program and their research which generate knowledge for achieving the SDG Goals in Bangladesh”.

The THE Impact Ranking is trusted by students, parents, academics, industry leaders, and governments. For ULAB to reach 4thplace in Bangladesh is an outstanding achievement. This recognition underlines the strength of ULAB as a global centre for quality teaching, learn-ing, and research, as well as recognising the tremendous student experience that it offers. 

BDST: 1825 HRS, APR 22, 2021
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