Sustainability Rating (STARS)

Entrance to campus with a sign along a wall that reads

SUSTAINABILITY TRACKING, ASSESSMENT & RATING SYSTEM™

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System(STARS) is a reporting tool for colleges and universities to assess and measure their overall sustainability performance. Because the framework shares a similar intent and scope as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, at a very high level an institution’s STARS score or rating can be used to demonstrate progress towards helping deliver the SDGs.

In February 2016, Seattle University submitted its first STARS report and achieved a GOLD rating (with a score of 69.41) from the rigorous benchmarking program. With the fourth report in May 2024, SU again obtained a GOLD rating and an increased score of 83.87, making us #1 of all GOLD STARS-rated schools and placing us in the Top 10 of all STARS-rated higher education institutions in the country.