In terms of gender equality, the University is in 22nd position worldwide according to this ranking, which evaluates the impact of universities on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations

The impact of universities on the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations in 2016 has given rise to a new ranking system devised by the Times Higher Education magazine (THE). Out of all the universities which were analyzed, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili is present in five out of the eleven goals analyzed, and it holds a prominent position in two of them: education quality (14th place in the list) and gender equality (22^nd place).

To evaluate of the quality of education, several factors were considered: the contribution of the universities —both during the first years and throughout the whole educational life of the students—, pedagogical research, and the commitment of each institution to inclusive education. All these factors have led the URV to take the 14^th position in a list which included over 450 universities from 77 countries.

To draw up the gender equality ranking, more than 300 universities from 70 countries were studied. This analysis measures the research by universities into gender studies, what policies regarding gender equality are applied, and the degree of commitment to hiring and promoting women. Taking these aspects into account, the URV was placed in the 22^nd position.

The Universitat Rovira i Virgili also shows up in three more objectives: in the field of responsible consumption and production it takes 99th position out of more than 200 universities studied in total; in industry, innovation and infrastructures, the URV is among the 101-200 positions out of more than 300 studied institutions, which is the same assessment it has achieved in Health and Welfare out of over 420 universities included in this classification.

This ranking of impact has been developed from the data that the universities presented at the moment of the submission of their candidacy. In total, more than 500 universities from 75 countries have participated, and eleven criteria have been measured: health and well-being, quality of education, gender equality, decent labour and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduction of inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, environmental action, peace, justice and strong institutions, and alliances to achieve the objectives.

The objective of THE for future editions is to measure the performance of universities in the 17 sustainable development goals set by the United Nations.