QS-AUR 2022: 22 local universities improved their rankings this year - MOHE

The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) in a statement today said Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia were among the universities that improved their rankings.

"The four universities that retained their positions are Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Kelantan," the statement read.

The ministry said the QS-AUR 2022 rankings showed 36 local universities participated this year compared to 35 previously.

UM announced in a statement on Tuesday that they had been ranked eighth in QS-AUR 2022, one rung up from last year, the first time the university was placed in the ten best-ranked universities since the rankings were published in 2009.

According to the ministry, the improvement in rankings by local universities meant that Malaysian universities could compete with universities in other Asian countries even with the various challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This success shows that Malaysia can be a premier higher education hub in the Asian region," the ministry said.

Meanwhile QS World University Rankings research director Ben Sowter said universities in Malaysia continue to improve in rankings even with stiff competition.

Overall, 687 universities from 18 countries, including 40 new entrants, participated in the QS-AUR 2022, which is the largest ever comparison conducted in the Asian region.

The QS-AUR 2022 is based on 11 main performance indicators, including academic reputation, graduate marketability, quality of research and productivity, international faculty ratio and international collaborations with various institutions.