PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya (UM) has become the top Malaysian varsity in the QS World University Rankings 2025 thanks to its excellent recognition among academics and employers.
Climbing five rungs up to 60th spot in the 21st edition of the ranking, UM is also the only Malaysian university in the top 100 and is third in South-East Asia.
The country’s premier university is the top national performer in the Academic Reputation (62nd) and Employer Reputation (34th) indicators, Employment Outcomes (163rd), International Research Network (140th) and Sustainability (132nd).
In addition, UM improved 15 places and is now 163rd for Student Faculty Ratio, improved 20 places to 234th for the International Students indicator, and climbed 22 places to 324th for the International Faculty indicator.
UM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said the university’s advancements in a majority of indicators point to its ability to compete with the best global universities.
“The promising achievements as evident in the QS Rankings are the epitome of the university’s unwavering intent to advance its position as among the world’s best.
“We will continue to ensure that both students and the academic and research fraternity are given the right capacity, support and intellectual dynamism and expertise in meeting the increasingly stiff challenges facing the higher education sector and humanity,” he said in a statement on June 5.
Coming in second was Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which climbed 21 spots from 159th to 138th.
The other research universities in the country – Universiti Sains Malaysia (146th), Universiti Putra Malaysia (148th) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (=181st) – round up the institutions listed in the top 200.
(Note: The ‘=’ symbol means it shares a rank with another institution.)
Taylor’s University maintained its position as the top private university in Malaysia, ranking 251st, followed by UCSI University, which climbed 35 ranks to =265th.
Taylor’s University vice-chancellor and president Prof Barry Winn said the university’s vision for the next decade involves setting its sights higher, positioning itself as a world-class institution.
“I am committed to upholding the highest standards at Taylor’s, to allow it to reach its full potential as a global leader in progressive and innovative teaching, research, and knowledge transfer,” he said.
UCSI vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir said the new ranking was a fair reflection of the good work that was taking place at the university.
“UCSI’s 35-spot rise is encouraging and I would like to thank all UCSI staff and students for their efforts,” she said, adding that this was the third consecutive year the university is in the world’s top 1% of institutions worldwide.
“It shows we are moving in the right direction and we will continue focusing on research, teaching, student experiences and graduate outcomes,” she added.
A total of 28 Malaysian higher education institutions were ranked this year.
Based on its average indicator score, Malaysia is Asia’s top performer in International Student Ratio, among countries with 10 or more ranked universities.
Five Malaysian universities are among the world’s top 100 for this indicator, with Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU) leading and securing Malaysia’s highest rank at the indicator level.
In a statement yesterday, QS said Malaysia is “making significant strides” towards its goal of attracting 250,000 international students by 2025 with five Malaysian universities now ranked among the world’s top 100 for the International Student Ratio indicator and four universities among the top 200 for International Faculty Ratio.
It also said Malaysia’s universities are gaining increased recognition among academics, with almost all ranked universities showing improved year-on-year results.
“Despite progress in other areas, Malaysia’s research impact still falls short compared with its regional and global peers,” it added.
QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said: “Malaysia’s journey towards becoming a high-income nation hinges on the quality of its educational system.”
Overall, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States continued to dominate the ranking for the 13th year, while the United Kingdom’s Imperial College London took second spot.
University of Oxford, United Kingdom, maintained its rank (third) and shares the spot with the US-based Harvard University.
Singapore is the only Asian country featured among the world’s top 10 in the latest rankings with National University of Singapore ranking 8th globally.
National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University rank first and second in South-East Asia.
This year’s world university rankings feature 1,500 universities across 106 higher education systems.
The full rankings can be viewed at https://www.topuniversities.com/qs-world-university-rankings/2025
