by Theleaders | November 3, 2026 9:27 pm
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — More than 50 Malaysian universities penetrated the QS World University Rankings Asia 2027 for the first time, with 11 emerging among the top 100 in Asia.
Overall, Malaysia is the eighth most represented higher education system in Asia, with 55 featured universities on the list. The country also stands on par with Japan and Korea with eight entries in the top 50.
Of the 16 Malaysian universities that achieved record-high positions for 2027, 12 were private universities.
They include Sunway University, INTI International University, Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), SEGi University, IMU University, MILA University, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Perdana University, Quest International University (QIU), Nilai University, UNITAR International University and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah (UniSHAMS).
The highest-ranked private university was Taylor’s University at the 32nd spot, albeit dropping five spots from the previous edition.
Sunway University also ranked among the top 50 for the first time while INTI International University made it into the top 100 for the first time.
Universiti Malaya (UM) remained the country’s best-performing university, emerging among the top 20 universities in Asia for the ninth consecutive year despite slipping two spots to the 17th rank this edition.
Meanwhile, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) entered the top 20 for the first time, rising four spots from the previous edition while Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) emerged top in Asia for the Faculty with PhD indicator.
260,000 international students by 2030
QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said Malaysia has more than doubled the number of universities in the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings: Asia in the last decade. The number of universities in the top 50 has also increased from only two in 2017 to eight in 2027.
“Its renown as an education hub in Southeast Asia is only growing, and research from QS suggests that, by the end of the decade, international student numbers are projected to reach about 260,000,” Sowter said.
According to the 2027 edition, Malaysia has the most well-represented higher education system in two key indicators. It has 24 universities in the top 100 entries for the International Faculty indicator and 31 in the top 100 entries in the International Students indicator.
However, it only has one entry in the top 100 for Citations per Paper and Papers per Faculty indicators.
How did other countries perform?
The QS Asia University Rankings 2027 evaluated 1722 universities across 26 locations.
The University of Hong Kong retained the top spot in the ranking while Peking University and Tsinghua University from China finished second and third respectively.
Hong Kong also recorded the highest number of universities in the top 10 while Japan logged one of Asia’s highest drop rates.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s two universities also dropped out of the top five, with the National University of Singapore (NUS) now ranking sixth in Asia while the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore settled at the eighth position.
Maldives also debuted this edition, featuring The Maldives National University and Villa College.
Source URL: https://theleaders-online.com/private-universities-steal-the-spotlight-as-malaysia-sets-a-historic-record-in-qs-asia-2027/
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