The University of St Andrews is Scotland's oldest university, located in Fife.
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St Andrews has credible emissions data and genuine decarbonisation momentum in heat and buildings, but the pace of absolute reduction is far too slow for its 2035 net zero claim. Scope 3 dominance (87% of total) remains largely unaddressed. Renewable electricity sourcing is negligible, and waste recycling performance lags sector benchmarks.
University of St Andrews scores 53/100 (Making progress) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified October 2026.
That places University of St Andrews joint 80th of 847 companies scored, and joint 16th of 67 in Higher Education / Universities.
Where University of St Andrews sits among higher education / universities peers.
Among the 67 major higher education / universities brands we've scored, University of St Andrews is tied =16th of 67, with 10 others.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
The full reasoning is in the ten questions below.
No verified circular targets or measurable progress tracked year-on-year.
No pollution incidents found.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Controversies & Red Flags and Carbon Footprint — Operations (9/10, 7/10). Weakest on Energy Source and Resource Use & Waste (4/10, 4/10).
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above University of St Andrews.
Strathclyde has cut absolute emissions 40% since 2018/19 and publishes credible HESA-verified data, but missed its own 70%-by-2025 interim target by half.
See the breakdown →Bristol has cut Scope 1+2 emissions 56% since 2005 and publishes verified data.
See the breakdown →Cranfield has cut operational emissions 51% since 2005 and publishes credible data, but Scope 3 remains unmeasured and unverified.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 16 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale16 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
“Total scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions 12,287.3 tCO2e, 2023/24 (HESA Table-3, UKPRN 10007803)”
“Sustainable procurement is a core part of how we deliver our commitment to net zero by 2035”
“Total carbon emissions for 2024-2025 amount to 82,946.5 tonnes, a reduction from 84,968.98 tonnes in 2023-2024”
“one-megawatt ground solar PV system provides Eden Campus with its electricity needs and reduces carbon footprint by approximately 5%”
“solar project will save 200 tonnes of carbon per year, while future-proofing the University's energy security”
“University has made progress towards creating more nature positive and eco-friendly spaces for students and staff”
“2035 target of 60% of University land being managed with biodiversity as a priority”
“diverting over 173 tonnes of food waste from landfill annually”
“Strategy commits the University to becoming net zero by 2035, ten years ahead of the Scottish Government's national target”
“SBTi target dashboard — no University of St Andrews entry found”
“The Forest programme is a core part of the University's vision to be net zero by 2035”
“University continues to fulfil its obligations under the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties report, in accordance with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009”
“jumping 57 places from 143 to 86, with increases across Environmental Research, Social Impact, Health & Wellbeing”
“University of St Andrews no longer hold any investments in fossil fuel companies; first university in Britain to enact a Sustainable Investment Policy”
“February 2017, the University announced it had removed all fossil fuel holdings from its investment portfolio”
“coalition including Universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Oxford, Southampton, St Andrews, Manchester, and the London School of Economics”
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The University of St Andrews is Scotland's oldest university, located in Fife. A research-led institution. Classified as a research-intensive HE provider in the UK sector.
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