The Times Higher Education Impact Ranking is a globally recognized ranking of the social impact of higher education institutions in the field of sustainable development. It is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Freie Universität achieved an overall score of 80.1 out of 100, placing it in the top quarter of the 1,406 participating universities worldwide. This corresponds to the ranking range 201 to 300. Across Germany, only the University of Konstanz is also in this ranking range.

Freie Universität participated in the Impact Ranking by providing data on seven Sustainable Development Goals. The university achieved a high ranking worldwide in Sustainability Goal 13 "Climate Action." It ranked 31st among 674 universities participating in SDG 13, placing it in the top 5 percent. In SDG 13, the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking evaluates published research results on the SDG, the university's commitment to climate neutrality, efforts to achieve CO₂-free energy consumption, and educational activities on climate protection.

Freie Universität Berlin is committed to its social responsibility to contribute to a sustainable world. With its orientation toward the global sustainability goals, it emphasizes the interconnectivity of the underlying global challenges as well as the development dimension of the solution strategies linked to them.