PETALING JAYA: Taylor’s University has been named the top Malaysian private university in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2022, while all five research universities remain in the top 200 despite a drop compared to last year.
The 18th edition of the global university rankings sees Taylor’s University climbing 47 spots to 332nd with an overall score of 32.3.
It also broke into the world’s top 100 Employer Reputation scores for the first time, sitting comfortably at 90th.
Its vice-chancellor Prof Michael Driscoll said the university’s strategy of curriculum innovation, and nimble response to the evolving education landscape, had ensured its “consistent success”.
“This latest achievement has come at a time when industries and universities have successfully innovated and adapted to the mode of delivering hybrid learning for their students, anywhere around the world, ” he said in a statement.
“A year into the Covid-19 pandemic, we have prioritised mobilising and supporting learning continuity by introducing radical reforms to our approach to teaching and learning.”
UCSI acting vice-chancellor and president Datuk Peter Ng said the 44-spot jump to 347th was a testament to the success of the university’s consistent push for excellence and accomplishment.
‘’This achievement is built upon the strength and efforts of UCSI’s staff and students to uplift our stature as an internationally competitive institution with impeccable standards, ” he said.
Ng added that the university’s academics were continuously innovating and raising the bar despite the challenging times.
Universiti Utara Malaysia was the only public university that climbed up the rankings, said its vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Bashawir Abdul Ghani.
He added that the efforts made since 2019 such as improving work quality, instilling corporate culture, enhancing industry collaborations, branding campaigns and strengthening English proficiency among staff and students have shown positive results.
Sunway University president Prof Sibrandes Poppema said the university achieved steady and sustainable growth through its investments to improve the quality of education offered.
The 10-year-old university has featured in the rankings for three years and has been steadily climbing, he said, adding that it now sits in the 651-700 band, up from 701-750.
A record 22 Malaysian universities appear in the latest rankings that feature 1, 300 universities in 97 locations, 145 more than in last year’s edition (see table).
Universiti Malaya remains Malaysia’s top university, sitting at 65th and remaining in the top 100 despite falling six places over the past year.
Malaysia’s other research universities also took a tumble with Universiti Putra Malaysia falling 11 spots to 143rd, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dropping three spots to 144th, Universiti Sains Malaysia falling five spots to 147th and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dropping four spots to 191st.
The latest ranking also saw Universiti Kuala Lumpur making its debut in the 801-1000 band.
The Higher Education Ministry said the drop in scores for various indicators, including Faculty/Student Ratio and Citations per Faculty, was due to the challenges faced by the institutions in the pandemic.
Despite the overall drop this year, QS director of research Ben Sowter expects Malaysian higher education to reach new heights once more as they scored well in terms of reputation and also with a highly supportive government.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, was listed as the world’s best university for the 10th year running.
The United Kingdom’s University of Oxford has risen to 2nd for the first time since 2006, while Stanford University and University of Cambridge shared the third spot.
Asia’s leading university is National University of Singapore at 11th place.
For more information, visit https://www.topuniversities.com.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
