Technical Manual

Download STARS credit criteria and reporting requirements

STARS 3.0

Materials

• Credit checklist (Google Sheet). An overview of the credits and indicators included in STARS 3.0 to assist in planning and estimating the outcome of participation.
• STARS Technical Manual v3.0.1 (PDF). The definitive guide to STARS credits and reporting criteria. Updated July 2025 with minor corrections and clarifications.
• Full set of standard credits (zipped file). Individual credits in PDF format for sharing with data providers.
• Tracking worksheet (Google Sheet). A list of the documentation fields associated with each credit to inform data collection.
• Innovation & Leadership Credit Catalog v3.0.1 (PDF). Optional credits that may be added to a STARS report to earn bonus points. Updated July 2025 with minor corrections and clarifications.

Individual Credits (PDF)

Report Preface (PRE)

• PRE 1 – 4: Report Preface

Academics (AC)

• AC 1: Sustainability Course Offerings
• AC 2: Undergraduate Programs
• AC 3: Graduate Programs
• AC 4: Applied Learning
• AC 5: Sustainability Literacy Assessment
• AC 6: Sustainability Research
• AC 7: Center for Sustainability Research
• AC 8: Responsible Research and Innovation

Engagement (EN)

• EN 1: Outreach and Communications
• EN 2: Co-Curricular Activities
• EN 3: Staff Engagement and Training
• EN 4: Sustainability Culture Assessment
• EN 5: Civic Engagement
• EN 6: Community Partnerships
• EN 7: Continuing Education
• EN 8: Shared Facilities
• EN 9: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Operations (OP)

• OP 1: Building Design and Construction
• OP 2: Building Operations and Maintenance
• OP 3: Water Use
• OP 4: Ecologically Managed Grounds
• OP 5: Energy Use. Template: Energy calculator (Google Sheet)
• OP 6: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• OP 7: Dining Service Procurement. Resources: Qualifying food and beverage certifications and Food and beverage purchasing inventory (Google Sheets)
• OP 8: Food Recovery
• OP 9: Sustainable Procurement System
• OP 10: Purchased Goods. Resource: Qualifying certifications and standards for purchased goods (Google Sheet)
• OP 11: Materials Management
• OP 12: Waste Generation and Recovery
• OP 13: Vehicle Fleet
• OP 14: Commute Modal Split
• OP 15: Air Travel

Planning & Administration (PA)

• PA 1: Sustainability Coordination
• PA 2: Commitments and Planning
• PA 3: Institutional Governance
• PA 4: Sustainable Investment Program
• PA 5: Investment Holdings
• PA 6: Institutional Climate
• PA 7: Racial and Ethnic Representation. Required template: Demographics worksheet (Google Sheet)
• PA 8: Gender Parity
• PA 9: Affordability and Access
• PA 10: Student Success
• PA 11: Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• PA 12: Employee Rights
• PA 13: Pay Equity and Living Wage

Technical Notes

• Summary of Changes (Google Doc). An overview of how STARS 3.0 differs from the previous iteration (v2.2).
• STARS Technical Manual v3.0 (PDF). Released May 2024 and superseded by Administrative Update One (v3.0.1, available above).
• Innovation & Leadership Credit Catalog v3.0 (PDF). Released May 2024 and superseded by Administrative Update One (v3.0.1, available above).
• Point Allocation (PDF). An overview of the methodology used to allocate points across the impact areas, credits and indicators included in STARS 3.0.
• Benchmarking (PDF). An overview of the methodology used to calculate the water, energy, GHG emissions and waste benchmarks included in STARS 3.0.
• Technical development. Provisional drafts and public comment.

Updated 5 July 2025