PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s oldest university continues being the top local university in international university ranking charts.

       Universiti Malaya (UM) is ranked number one in Malaysia in the 2022-23 edition of the Global 2000 list by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

       Internationally, it sits at 391 with a score of 75.4, a six place climb from its previous position of 397 last year.

       Nearly three weeks ago, UM was the most represented public university in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 with 37 of its departments ranked.

       Results this year are mixed for Malaysian universities with five out of the eight universities ranked improving their positions.

       Those that improved are Universiti Putra Malaysia (783), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (844), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (852) and Universiti Teknologi Petronas (1792).

       CWUR president Dr Nadim Mahassen said: “While the results of this year’s rankings show that Malaysia has a good higher education system, further funding should be invested in education and research if the country aspires to increase its competitiveness on the global stage”.

       He also said universities in Malaysia will find it increasingly difficult to compete in the future with elite research-intensive universities if the government does not increase its spending on scientific research.

       Based in the United Arab Emirates, CWUR’s rankings grade universities on seven factors.

       This list is the only university performance table that measures universities’ quality of education, employability, quality of faculty, and research without relying on surveys and university data submissions.

       This year, 19,788 universities were ranked by CWUR, and those that placed at the top made the Global 2000 list – which includes institutions from 96 countries.

       Harvard University ranks as the top global university for the 10th year in a row.

       Massachusetts Institute of Technology was in second place ahead of Stanford University, while the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford held steady in fourth and fifth.

       The best five universities in Asia this year are University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, and Peking University.

       The CWUR is a consulting organisation providing policy advice, strategic insights and consulting services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes.