FOR school leavers and their families, one question tends to cut through the noise of university open days and brochure promises in the weeks following the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results: will this programme lead to a good job?
With the rising cost of tertiary education and the increasingly competitive job market driven by advances in digitalisation and artificial intelligence, parents and students alike are more discerning when it comes to selecting higher education programmes.
This trend has placed graduate employability firmly at the centre of how universities are evaluated today.
While accreditations, rankings and facilities still matter, families are increasingly asking a sharper question: does this institution have a verifiable track record of producing graduates that employers actually want to hire?
They now want proof of what a university can offer its students.
What families are really looking for
When assessing a tertiary institution, families consider several key factors.
They consider how closely programmes align with industry needs; the opportunities for real-world exposure through clinical placements, industry projects and professional networks; whether the qualifications are recognised internationally and most importantly, they want to know where the alumni are today.
The University of Cyberjaya (UoC) continues to strive to meet these expectations through its education programmes, which have earned recognition from both national and international institutions.
Employer validation, not just self-reported data
UoC’s animation and physiotherapy programmes were each awarded the Talentbank 6-Star Employer Choice recognition in the Talentbank Graduate Employability Index 2026, one of Malaysia’s most rigorous frameworks for measuring graduate employability through direct employer validation.
Both programmes placed in the top five in their respective categories among private universities in the country.
This achievement is particularly significant because of the breadth of disciplines involved.
Animation and physiotherapy sit at opposite ends of the academic spectrum, one rooted in creative technology and the other in clinical healthcare. Both achieved top-tier employer validation in the same year, signalling a pattern that goes beyond individual programme success.
“When employers consistently choose our graduates across different fields, it tells us that what we are doing inside the classroom is translating meaningfully outside of it,” said UoC industry and international engagement senior manager Nalena Balachandran.
“These recognitions reflect the relationships we have built with industry partners over the years, and the deliberate way we have structured our programmes to meet their evolving needs,” she added.
A global benchmark for creative education
Complementing this is the recognition of UoC’s art and design programmes in the 2026 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by subject, ranked in the 101–150 band globally.
This is a meaningful achievement for a Malaysian private university competing alongside established institutions from across Asia, Europe and beyond.
For students considering animation or design-related disciplines, the ranking offers an important reassurance that the university’s creative education not only produces locally employable graduates but also measures up against its global peers.
Students pondering the next step in their education journey post-SPM may find the decision goes beyond selecting a course; it is a choice about the kind of future they want to invest in.
To learn more, visit the university’s open day on April 11 and 12. Click here for further information.
