diff --git a/api/base/elasticsearch_dsl_views.py b/api/base/elasticsearch_dsl_views.py
index 54d6afb885e..0c9388be126 100644
--- a/api/base/elasticsearch_dsl_views.py
+++ b/api/base/elasticsearch_dsl_views.py
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 import elasticsearch_dsl as edsl
 from rest_framework import generics
+from rest_framework import exceptions as drf_exceptions
+from rest_framework.settings import api_settings as drf_settings
 
 from api.base.filters import FilterMixin
 from api.base.views import JSONAPIBaseView
@@ -11,6 +13,9 @@
 class ElasticsearchListView(FilterMixin, JSONAPIBaseView, generics.ListAPIView, abc.ABC):
     '''abstract view class using `elasticsearch_dsl.Search` as a queryset-analogue
     '''
+    default_ordering: str | None = None
+    ordering_fields: frozenset[str] = frozenset()
+
     @abc.abstractmethod
     def get_default_search(self) -> edsl.Search:
         ...
@@ -19,8 +24,8 @@ def get_default_search(self) -> edsl.Search:
     # beware! inheritance shenanigans below
 
     # override FilterMixin to disable all operators besides 'eq' and 'ne'
-    MATCHABLE_FIELDS = ()  # type: ignore[assignment]
-    COMPARABLE_FIELDS = ()  # type: ignore[assignment]
+    MATCHABLE_FIELDS = ()
+    COMPARABLE_FIELDS = ()
     DEFAULT_OPERATOR_OVERRIDES = {}
     # (if you want to add fulltext-search or range-filter support, remove the override
     #  and update `__add_search_filter` to handle those operators -- tho note that the
@@ -35,7 +40,7 @@ def get_default_search(self) -> edsl.Search:
 
     # override rest_framework.generics.GenericAPIView
     def get_queryset(self):
-        _search = self.get_default_search()
+        _search = self.__add_sort(self.get_default_search())
         # using parsing logic from FilterMixin (oddly nested dict and all)
         for _parsed_param in self.parse_query_params(self.request.query_params).values():
             for _parsed_filter in _parsed_param.values():
@@ -50,6 +55,27 @@ def get_queryset(self):
     ###
     # private methods
 
+    def __add_sort(self, search: edsl.Search) -> edsl.Search:
+        _elastic_sort = self.__get_elastic_sort()
+        return (search if _elastic_sort is None else search.sort(_elastic_sort))
+
+    def __get_elastic_sort(self) -> str | None:
+        _sort_param = self.request.query_params.get(drf_settings.ORDERING_PARAM, self.default_ordering)
+        if not _sort_param:
+            return None
+        _sort_field, _ascending = (
+            (_sort_param[1:], False)
+            if _sort_param.startswith('-')
+            else (_sort_param, True)
+        )
+        if _sort_field not in self.ordering_fields:
+            raise drf_exceptions.ValidationError(
+                f'invalid value for {drf_settings.ORDERING_PARAM} query param (valid values: {", ".join(self.ordering_fields)})'
+            )
+        _serializer_field = self.get_serializer().fields[_sort_field]
+        _elastic_sort_field = _serializer_field.source
+        return (_elastic_sort_field if _ascending else f'-{_elastic_sort_field}')
+
     def __add_search_filter(
         self,
         search: edsl.Search,
diff --git a/api/institutions/views.py b/api/institutions/views.py
index 8abfe9e48a8..d2ed75df937 100644
--- a/api/institutions/views.py
+++ b/api/institutions/views.py
@@ -545,6 +545,21 @@ class _NewInstitutionUserMetricsList(InstitutionMixin, ElasticsearchListView):
 
     serializer_class = NewInstitutionUserMetricsSerializer
 
+    default_ordering = '-storage_usage_bytes'
+    ordering_fields = frozenset((
+        'user_name',
+        'department',
+        'month_last_login',
+        'account_creation_date',
+        'public_projects',
+        'private_projects',
+        'public_registration_count',
+        'embargoed_registration_count',
+        'published_preprint_count',
+        'public_file_count',
+        'storage_byte_count',
+    ))
+
     def get_default_search(self):
         _yearmonth = InstitutionalUserReport.most_recent_yearmonth()
         if _yearmonth is None:
diff --git a/api_tests/institutions/views/test_institution_user_metric_list.py b/api_tests/institutions/views/test_institution_user_metric_list.py
index abee2c68f76..f3d20a3ba66 100644
--- a/api_tests/institutions/views/test_institution_user_metric_list.py
+++ b/api_tests/institutions/views/test_institution_user_metric_list.py
@@ -386,6 +386,15 @@ def test_filter_reports(self, app, url, institutional_admin, institution, report
             assert _resp.status_code == 200
             assert set(_user_ids(_resp)) == _expected_user_ids
 
+    @pytest.mark.es
+    def test_sort_reports(self, app, url, institutional_admin, institution, reports, unshown_reports):
+        for _query, _expected_user_id_list in (
+            ({'sort': 'storage_byte_count'}, ['u_sparse', 'u_orc', 'u_blargl', 'u_orcomma']),
+            ({'sort': '-storage_byte_count'}, ['u_orcomma', 'u_blargl', 'u_orc', 'u_sparse']),
+        ):
+            _resp = app.get(f'{url}?{urlencode(_query)}', auth=institutional_admin.auth)
+            assert _resp.status_code == 200
+            assert list(_user_ids(_resp)) == _expected_user_id_list
 
 def _user_ids(api_response):
     for _datum in api_response.json['data']: