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QS WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS 2023 UNIVERSITI MALAYA IS 35th IN THE WORLD FOR EMPLOYER REPUTATION AND REMAINS IN THE TOP 100 FOR THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN QS WUR 2023

Universiti Malaya (UM) retains its place among the global top-100 universities for a fifth straight year in the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS-WUR) 2023, further establishing its place among this group of elite institutions. At 70th rank, UM is placed within the top 5% of the 1,422 institutions ranked by QS and remains the best university in the country, and third in Southeast Asia.

Universiti Malaya’s top-100 status is due, in large part, to its recognition amongst academics and employers. UM’s ranks for QS’s reputational indicators, i.e., Academic Reputation (70th, up 2 places) and Employer Reputation (35th, up 11 places) show that Universiti Malaya enjoys an excellent reputation among the world’s academics and employers.

However, on aggregate, Universiti Malaya’s rank has declined to 70th from 65th last year. This has been due primarily to reduction in the score for Faculty Student ratio (67.8, down from 76.5) and Citations per Faculty ratio score (39.4, down from 49.6). The score for percentage of International Staff remained unchanged at 43.6; in terms of rank, it has declined to 388 (down 76 places from last year). However, the International Student score (53.0, up 10.4 from last year) indicates that Universiti Malaya is increasingly being viewed favourably by foreign students as a destination of choice and augurs well for the future.

Universiti Malaya’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, is pleased that UM has improved in the Employer Reputation indicator. This indicates that Universiti Malaya is succeeding in equipping students with quality education which provides valuable preparation for the employment market.

“We will continue to implement a more robust teaching and learning component through precision intervention to adapt teaching and learning approaches to cultivate potential of our students to the greatest extent. We will also provide opportunities for experts, industry practitioners, alumni and notable stakeholders in the industries and relevant fields to share their knowledge and experiences with UM students.

“The University recognised the seriousness in the drop in the Faculty/Student and Citations/Faculty indicators and emphasized that UM will take all the necessary steps to turn things around.

“We are working to mitigate further decline in research publication impact and have identified factors that need immediate attention. We are focusing on redoubling our research productivity by the provision of more research grants. Efforts to maintain and upgrade facilities is ongoing, as well as on securing the employment of good postdoctoral fellows and researchers, which will contribute to high-impact research. In addition, the University will work aggressively to manage Faculty-to-student ratio to a more optimal level with respect to our number of full-time staff. We will also seek to attract, recruit, and retain quality international staff at all levels,” assured Professor Dato’ Hamdi.

The Vice-Chancellor congratulated the 24 Malaysian institutions (a record number, up 2 from last year) featured in this year’s rankings and thanked the Ministry of Higher Education for the support and leadership that has enabled Malaysia to garner increasing recognition on the global stage.

“I would like to thank the University community - staff and students, as well as our partners and collaborators for their commitment and contribution. My sincerest gratitude goes to the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellors and Board of Directors of Universiti Malaya for their strong support. UM will continue to strive to push the boundaries of knowledge and nurture aspiring leaders,” said Professor Dato’ Hamdi.

Last Update: Jun 21, 2022