UUM AMONG SIX UNIVERSITIES IN MALAYSIA LISTED IN THE TOP 500 IN THE WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2024

 UUM ONLINE: A total of six Malaysian universities have made history by being listed in the top 500 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.

Universiti Malaya maintained its position as the top institution in the country, moving up from the 351-400 range last year to the 251-300 range in the 2024 edition of this ranking.

Next on the list is Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, which has made a significant improvement by moving up from the 401-500 range to the 301-350 range.

The remaining four universities in the top 500 are Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).

UUM has successfully maintained its position within the 401-500 range, while other institutions have made progress by moving up from the 601-800 range.

According to THE Chief Global Affairs Officer, Mr. Phil Baty, Malaysian universities have made significant progress in THE World University Rankings 2024. Almost every institution in the top 10 has seen notable improvements.

"Impressively, there are currently six Malaysian universities ranked among the top 500 globally. The significant increase in rankings of Malaysian universities over the past five years has garnered considerable international attention.

"Malaysian universities have recently shown a keen interest in attracting more international students and staff. This strategic move aims to enhance their global influence and reputation, ultimately leading to improved rankings in the future. Malaysia is steadily enhancing its position as a prominent global education hub," he added.

Out of the 23 Malaysian universities that were ranked, which is one more than last year, 12 saw an improvement in their ranking. Seven universities managed to maintain their position, while one new university made its way into the top 1,500 range.

Several Malaysian universities have seen an increase in their ranking, namely Universiti Putra Malaysia (501-600); Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Sunway University, and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (601-800); as well as Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (1,001-1,200).

Apart from UUM, other universities that maintain their respective positions are Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (1,001-1,200); Multimedia University; Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka; and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (1,201–1,500); as well as Universiti Teknologi Mara and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (1501+).

In addition to that, the universities that are included in the 20th year ranking are Universiti Malaysia Perlis and the newly opened Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (1,201-1,500); as well as Universiti Kuala Lumpur and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (1,501+).

This ranking assesses research-oriented universities based on 18 performance indicators, which has increased from 13 indicators used last year. These indicators are grouped into five categories: teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook, and industry.

Out of the five new performance indicators, four of them focus on research quality, while the remaining one evaluates patents in core industries.

Universities in Malaysia performed above average in terms of student-staff ratio and also achieved a strong performance in study abroad performance indicators.

Malaysian universities have been consistently outperforming the global average on an international scale, demonstrating steady growth since 2021. The performance of the research and teaching core is improving over time, whereas the industry pillar is experiencing a decline.

The 2024 edition of the list includes a total of 1,904 universities from 108 countries and regions.

The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom has maintained its position as the top university globally for the eighth year in a row, followed by Stanford University in second place, making it the leading university in the United States, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in third place.

China is home to some of the top universities in Asia, making it the most represented continent in the ranking with 737 participating universities. The continent has made significant improvements in teaching and research quality, surpassing any other region.