USM climbs 149 places in Academic Ranking of World Universities, now Malaysia’s top university

George Town, Aug 16 — Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has achieved a remarkable feat by climbing to the top spot among Malaysian universities in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026, moving up 149 places to secure the 581st position globally. This significant improvement comes after USM's position dropped from 730th in the previous year, marking a transformation from the third place in 2025 within the national rankings.

USM has expressed its pride in this achievement, emphasizing that ARWU evaluates universities based on academic and research performance rather than reputation or perception. The ranking considers various factors, including the presence of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners among alumni and staff, highly cited researchers (HiCi) recognized by Clarivate, publications in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science, and citations in the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI).

A notable aspect of this ranking is that 30% of the overall assessment is based on Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners, while another 20% is allocated to HiCi. This means that half of the evaluation is directly tied to world-class academic achievements and researchers with highly influential citations. With over 2,500 universities worldwide assessed by ARWU annually, only the top 1,000 are included in the ranking, making USM's 149-place rise within a year an impressive accomplishment.

USM's performance in the 2026 ARWU highlights strong results in the Publication indicator, ranking 424th globally, and an improved HiCi indicator, placing it at the 503rd position worldwide. The university's commitment to enhancing its research ecosystem is evident in this significant leap from 730th globally to 581st, and from third to first place in Malaysia.