Universiti Malaya was ranked 388th overall and 80th in Asia, moving up three spots from the previous year to place among the top 1.9% of universities worldwide.
The best university in the nation continues to be Universiti Malaya. In the 2023 edition of the Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), it took first place out of nine universities in Malaysia.
It was ranked 388th overall and 80th in Asia, moving up three spots from the previous year to place among the top 1.9% of universities worldwide.
With 36 subjects ranked, including 15 in the top 100 in the world, UM was named the strongest institution overall in Malaysia in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2023 in March.
Two-thirds of Malaysian universities improved their positions in the CWUR global rankings this year, with six out of the nine universities. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (833rd place), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (840), Universiti Teknologi Mara (1,584), Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (1,755), and Universiti Malaysia Pahang are among the institutions that have improved their rankings in addition to UM (1,981).
International Islamic University Malaysia (1,546), Universiti Putra Malaysia (785), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (794) are the other three Malaysian universities that made the list.
The main driver of Malaysian universities’ growth is advancements in their research capacities. CWUR president Dr. Nadim Mahassen said funding to further promote the growth and reputation of Malaysia’s higher education system is essential if the nation aspires to be more competitive on the global stage.
He said efforts must be made to attract top academics and students, expand teaching capacity, and increase tertiary education expenditure as a percentage of the national GDP.
CWUR’s Global 2000 list is the only university performance table that assesses universities’ quality of instruction, employability, faculty quality, and research without relying on surveys and data submissions.
CWUR examined 62 million outcome-based data points to rank universities from around the world, and the top 20 made the list, featuring colleges from 95 different nations.
Harvard has held the title of best university in the world for a 12-year streak. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University are the next two private American universities.
The top public higher education institutions worldwide are the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford in the United Kingdom, which came in fourth and fifth, respectively. The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, and Peking University are this year’s top five universities in Asia.
The CWUR is a consulting firm in the UAE that offers policy recommendations, strategic analysis, and consulting services to governments and academic institutions to improve learning and research outcomes.