University Malaya Still On Top

In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2023, University Malaya (UM) retains its position among the world’s top 100 universities for the fifth year running.

At No. 70, UM scored one of the world’s top 50 Employer Reputation scores (35th) for the second year in a row, while its Academic Reputation score improved two places.

Additionally, its score for the measure assessing the percentage of overseas students increased.

Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Syukor, vice-chancellor of UM, stated that the institution’s progress on the Employer Reputation indicator demonstrates its success in equipping students with a quality education that provides valuable preparation for the job market.

“We will continue to incorporate a more robust teaching and learning component through precision intervention in order to adapt teaching and learning strategies in order to maximise the potential of our pupils.

“We will also provide opportunities for experts, industry practitioners, alumni, and prominent stakeholders to share their expertise and experiences with UM students,” he stated.

As a result of its success in research, the University of Michigan’s rating has dropped five places from the previous year.

Prof. Mohd Hamdi stated that UM recognises the gravity of the dip and will take measures to prevent further fall.

This year, a record number of 24 Malaysian higher education institutions (HEIs) were ranked, with the majority of universities increasing their places.

According to QS, the foreign students indicator for the higher education sector increased overall, as 15 universities rose in this metric, with Taylor’s University ranking 64th and UCSI University and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) entering the world’s top 100.

Taylor’s Institution advanced 48 spots to the 284th position in the overall ranking and received one of the world’s top 100 Employer Reputation scores for the second time, making it the best private university in Malaysia.

Prof. Michael Driscoll, vice-chancellor and president of the institution, stated that it has entered the top one percent of universities worldwide.

“The institution has taken a progressive approach to embedding entrepreneurialism, life skills, and social innovation modules, as well as transdisciplinary projects, across the curriculum.

“In addition, all graduating students will get transcripts that show both their academic and soft skills accomplishments – a novel method that makes the institution the first of its type in Asia,” he said in a statement.

Prof. Dr. Mohd Roslan Sulaiman, vice-chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), is pleased with the university’s 20-spot rise, which he sees as foreign communities recognising UPM’s teamwork over the years.

Now occupying the 123rd spot in the rankings, Prof. Mohd Roslan stated that UPM follows six steps to consistently improve.

“We cultivate forward-thinking leaders at several levels in order to improve their leadership and governance, curriculum and instruction, research and innovation, industry and community relations, and student development practises.

“Our leaders are strongly urged to be focused, adaptable, and willing to adapt their approaches of leading and managing their organisations to meet local and global needs and requirements.

“Students, academicians, and non-academic staff all actively work with many local and international stakeholders in our day-to-day operations, allowing them to remain current and prepared for the future,” he said.

Ben Sowter, senior vice president of QS, characterised the progress made by Malaysian HEIs as “amazing,” noting that the University of Malaya was not a top 100 university as recently as 2018, but has now firmly established itself among the 100 greatest universities in the world.

“In 2018, UPM and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia had never been listed among the top 150 universities in the world; they have now both spent consecutive years in this category.

He continued, “With strong reputational trends and a highly supportive government, we expect Malaysian higher education to achieve new heights in the next years.”

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States maintained its position as the top university in the world for the eleventh consecutive year, while the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom rose to second place and Stanford University in the United States remained in third place.

Peking University and Tsinghua University, ranked 12th and 14th, respectively, are among the top 15 universities in the world.

The QS World University Rankings 2023 includes 1,418 universities in 100 locations, up from 1,300 institutions in the previous edition.

The results include the distribution and performance of 16,4 million scholarly papers published between 2016 and 2020, as well as the expert judgments of more than 151,000 academic faculty and more than 99,000 businesses.

The list of rankings can be found at www.topuniversities.com.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/06/09/um-still-on-top-for-fifth-straight-year