Four Malaysian public universities are listed in the latest QS rankings for 2019, with USM among the top three, the statement said. It did not name the other universities.
USM vice-chancellor Asma Ismail hailed USM’s ranking as a great achievement in the face of stiff competition. She said it was a testament to the commitment of the university’s academic and administrative staff, alumni and stakeholders.
“The big leap in a way showcases Malaysia as having world-class higher learning institutions,” she said. “Given a steady chance, Malaysia will become a much more dominant nation in higher education, beyond the rankings.”
The young universities ranking lists universities that were founded less than 50 years ago. USM was founded in June 1969.
In the QS World University Ranking 2019 released earlier this month, USM was placed at 207th in the world, up 57 places. Asma noted that the ranking placed USM among the top 21% of the 1,011 institutions ranked by QS.
Universiti Malaya was ranked 87th, the highest placing among Malaysian universities. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was ranked 184th, Universiti Putra Malaysia 202nd, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 228th.