UKM ke-20 terbaik Asia, UM jatuh ke tangga 17

Malaysia's Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has leapt ahead of Universiti Malaya (UM) to secure a joint 20th place in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, while UM slipped to 17th position. Despite this, both institutions remain the top universities in the country. Of the 49 Malaysian universities listed last year, 20 improved their rankings, four remained unchanged, and 25 fell.

Six new universities entered, bringing the total to 55. However, 17 institutions achieved the highest ranking at this time, increasing the total number of Malaysian universities in the top 100 Asian list from 10 to 11. The rankings assess 1,722 universities across Asia based on 11 criteria, including employer reputation, research performance, and international student representation.

UKM's biggest improvement was in expanding research collaborations with international researchers, jumping four places to rank 11th in Asia in this area. Meanwhile, UM fell in six out of 11 evaluated areas, including its employer reputation, dropping seven places to 17th. It also slipped three places in each of international research networks and international student representation.

The report also found that 86% of local universities experienced a drop in employer reputation criteria, contributing to 20% of the overall ranking. The decline is not necessarily a sign of poor performance, as QS explained to FMT, as other competing institutions may be advancing faster. The 2027 ranking shows that competing universities might be catching up to Malaysia, according to QS.

Malaysia remains in the fourth place among 26 evaluated education systems for the average employer reputation score. Nine Malaysian universities are listed in the top 100 Asian rankings for employer reputation, up from five in 2017. The report also found that 69% of institutions suffered a decline in the number of research papers published per academic staff member, while 61% experienced a drop in the frequency of their research being cited by others.

Only one local university has managed to top the top 100 Asian rankings for both criteria, while no other Malaysian institution has achieved this double feat.