Malaysia ‘shines’ in QS world university rankings for reputation, international appeal

Malaysia has been praised for its "highly diverse" and international faculty and student body, and a "flourishing" reputation among international academics and employers, in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2024.

QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter described Malaysian higher education as a "beacon of diversity and internationalisation" that draws talent worldwide.

"With its strong performance in international student ratio and a highly diverse faculty and student body, Malaysia's universities offer a vibrant and inclusive learning environment," — QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter

Malaysian universities in the rankings

Twenty-eight Malaysian institutions feature in the 2024 rankings: 11 moved up, 12 dropped, one stayed unchanged, and four were ranked for the first time.

Universiti Malaya (UM) remains Malaysia's top-ranked institution, climbing five spots to No. 65 in the latest rankings — ranked 70th this year, it remains the only Malaysian university in the global top 100, a feat achieved for a sixth consecutive year.

Other notable moves: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) rose from 143 to 137; Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) fell from 123 to 158; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) dropped from 129 to 159; Universiti Teknologi Malaysia climbed from 203 to 188; Taylor's held steady at 284; and UCSI University slipped six places from 284 to 300.

How the rankings are determined

QS scores universities on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty-student ratio, international research network, and employment outcomes. Despite a slight overall dip for Malaysian institutions this year, Malaysia posted the highest average score in Asia on five of the nine metrics among countries with 10 or more ranked universities.

Sowter said Malaysia's main challenge is closing the gap between academia and industry, given difficulty producing "work-ready" graduates.

"A focus on experiential learning and global partnerships could help it develop this area," — Ben Sowter

Global top rankings

Globally, MIT retained the No. 1 spot, followed by Cambridge (unchanged), Oxford (up from 4th), Harvard (up from 5th), and Stanford (down two places to 5th). The National University of Singapore (NUS) climbed from 11th to 8th.

Source: Free Malaysia Today