PETALING JAYA: A record number of 18 Malaysian universities were included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2022, compared to 15 last year.

       The three new additions to the rankings are Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (801-1000), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (1201+) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (1201+).

       The latest edition of the global university rankings also saw Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) move up into the world’s top 600 for the first time.

       Calling it the university’s best performance since its THE World University Rankings debut in 2017, UTP vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib said the achievement was a testament to its determination to deliver its commitment to its stakeholders.

       “UTP will continue its significant momentum as a leading university among our international peers by re-engineering our research strategic focus, resulting in better impact on publications.

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       “I will also produce niche and value-added commercial applications, and converge more strategic partnerships with universities and industries within the region.

       “As part of the Petronas group, we also see significant opportunities by aligning our initiatives to support Petronas’ current and future businesses as well as its sustainability agenda.

       “We hope this will elevate our business outlook and strengthen our financial sustainability,” he said in a statement.

       Universiti Malaya (UM) retains its place in the 301-350 band, maintaining its position globally in the top 350 universities for the fourth consecutive year. A total of 1,662 universities appeared in the latest THE World University Rankings.

       THE chief knowledge officer Phil Baty said their data showed there were shifts happening across higher education sectors around the world.

       Phil Baty

       “We are already seeing clear disruption to the established norms from China, and record highs for Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong show that Asia is continuing to benefit from the focus and investment in higher education across the continent.

       “In the coming years, it will be interesting to see whether the United States, United Kingdom and other world-leading higher education systems can respond to the challenges of Covid-19, including attracting international academic and student talent, and a possibly serious impact on already stretched funding, to hold onto their positions at the very top of the table,” he added.

       The United Kingdom’s University of Oxford retained the first spot for the sixth consecutive year, while California Institute of Technology and Harvard University shared the second spot.