KUALA LUMPUR, 12 MARCH 2025 - Universiti Malaya (UM) continues to assert its position as Malaysia’s top university, achieving remarkable success in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, with 20 subjects being ranked in the Top 100 and four subjects in the Top 50.
UM now has the highest number of subjects in the Top 50, from two subjects in 2021 to four subjects now, charting a new feat of pride for the country. Two new subjects entered the elite status of the Top 50, Education and English Language and Literature, while the other two, Library and Information Management and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, maintained their prowess in their status as among the best in the world, all reflecting the diverse yet focused approach in advancing existing and new critical fields including AI and digital advancement in empowering nation-building.
This achievement is seen through the Subject Rankings where UM is in the Top 10% in the world for 28 subjects. Comprehensively, a total of 41 subjects in UM are recognised in the QS Rankings for 2025. This is a holistic and massively consistent elevation of standards and improvements over the past five years, from the 36 subjects ranked in 2021.
Furthermore, a total of 38 subjects still hold the number one position in Malaysia, a jump from 34 subjects in the last edition of 2024. UM continues to be dominant at the national level, being the top in all four main broad areas: engineering and technology, life sciences and medicine, natural sciences, and social sciences and management.
Reflecting on UM’s performance, Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya, emphasized the university’s continuous solid and unwavering focus on enhancing its global top standards in its academic and research excellence and quality.
"UM's new global recognition and success in the global rankings reflect our relentless pursuit of the highest standard and quality in our research and teaching and learning.
“Our new achievements, including our historic debut in Dentistry and Marketing programmes and our continuous success in other subjects, reinforce our mission to lead the nation and the world in charting new frontiers that will shape a better tomorrow and a new future of hope to humanity and civilisations, from tackling the challenges of climate change to inventing new solutions to the problems facing the world today”.
In addition, UM maintains competitive rankings across all five broad subject areas, showcasing its strength in diverse academic disciplines. In Social Sciences & Management, UM ranks 71st globally, followed by Engineering & Technology at 79th, Arts & Humanities at 98th, Life Sciences & Medicine at 118th, and Natural Sciences at 134th. These rankings highlight UM’s interdisciplinary impact, world-class faculty, and strategic research contributions, reinforcing its position among the top universities in Asia and globally.
UM also celebrates key milestones with first-time entries and major advancements in the narrow subject rankings. Dentistry and Marketing make their debut in the rankings and have been recognised at the highest level with both securing a top 100 placement. UM is also the first and only Malaysian university to be ranked in Dentistry, a testament to the strength of the university in the medical science field.
Anthropology breaks into the Top 200 for the first time, being the first and the only ranked anthropology subject in Malaysia. The university continues to record significant upgrades in quality and recognition in life and medical sciences, underscoring the established expertise and standards in the field.
As UM embraces the future, it remains committed to advancing as a world-class institution and leading a new wave of imagination, ingenuity, and hope for future generations. With these achievements as a precursor to greater milestones, UM will continue to advance the sanctity and quintessence of knowledge of the future for the benefit of the world and humanity for generations to come.
