Ton Duc Thang ranked 83rd on the list of 912 most sustainable educational institutes in the world, according to the annual ranking that examines carbon footprint reduction and climate change efforts at global universities.

The school scored highest in efforts to combat climate change as well as education and research.

At the campus in HCMC's District 7, the proportion of green areas accounts for more than 75 percent of the campus area, said a representative of the university, which operates four campuses in HCMC and the central towns of Nha Trang and Bao Loc.

The university's efforts in turning rain into drinking water and solar energy systems meet most of its water preservation and electricity needs, the representative added.

Ton Duc Thang went up 82 places in this year ranking.

Tra Vinh University in the namesake Mekong Delta province rose 92 places to 129th.

The school scores high in terms of energy and climate change as well as transportation.

The metric, launched in 2010, grades universities from 84 countries and territories around the world on six criteria: their setting and infrastructure, energy efficiency and carbon footprint, waste treatment plants, water usage, transportation, along with education and research programs.

The ranking, an initiative of the University of Indonesia, aims to draw the attention of university leaders and stakeholders to combating climate change and resource conservation.

Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands topped the ranking, followed by the University of Oxford in the U.K., and the University of California in the U.S.