KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Sixty-five per cent of Malaysian universities have climbed the ranks in the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025, more than any other country or territory surveyed in Asia.

In this latest edition, 40 Malaysian universities were ranked, with 26 climbing, 11 dropping, and two maintaining their positions from the previous edition.

A total of 21 Malaysian institutions made it to the top 200 Asian universities on the list, comprising 11 public and 10 private universities.

Universiti Malaya (UM) remained Malaysia’s highest-ranked university, though it slipped from 11th to 12th place this year.

UM also led the country in three indicators, securing 16th in academic reputation, ninth in employer reputation, and fourth in the international research network indicator.

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) entered the top 20 for the first time, moving up five places from 25th to 20th.

Taylor’s University was the top-ranked private institution, advancing from 41st to 36th place.

Inti International University saw the biggest improvement among Malaysian universities, jumping 52 places from 222nd to 170th, making it the third most improved in Asia overall.

Nilai University also ranked for the first time, entering the 851-900 band.

Malaysia’s most improved indicator this year was academic research, with 84 per cent of institutions climbing in this area.

However, only one Malaysian university ranked in the Top 100 for Papers per Faculty or Citations per Paper indicators.

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) led the country in Papers per Faculty at 38th, while Taylor’s University was the highest-ranked for Citations per Paper at 40th.

A destination for international students

Malaysian universities have also become attractive destinations for international students, with five universities among Asia’s Top 10 in the International Students indicator.

These include Al-Madinah International University (2nd), Segi University (5th), Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (6th), Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (8th), and Malaysia University of Science and Technology (9th).

Al-Madinah International University was ranked second in Asia for both the International Students and International Faculty indicators.

The report also highlighted Malaysia’s strong student exchange programmes. Four universities ranked in Asia’s top 10 for Inbound Exchange Students: Inti International University (2nd), Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (4th), UCSI University (5th), and Lincoln University College (6th).

In Outbound Exchange Students, three universities were in the region’s top 10: UCSI University (5th), UPM (6th), and Management and Science University (7th).

Asia’s top universities

The top four universities in the QS World University Rankings for Asia have retained their positions from last year.

China’s Peking University remains Asia’s highest-ranked university, followed by the University of Hong Kong in second place, with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in third and fourth respectively.

The 2025 edition ranked 984 universities across 25 countries and territories in Asia — 127 more than last year. India was the most represented, with 163 ranked institutions, followed by China with 135 and Japan with 115.