Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) makes its debut into the top ten list of the world's best universities under fifty years of age in the 2021 edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50 Rankings released today by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
Besides UPM, two other Malaysian universities featured in the rankings' top 100 are Universiti Teknologi Petronas (61-70 band) and Universiti Utara Malaysia (81-90 band). UPM shares the 10th position with Finland's Aalto University.
UPM vice-chancellor Professor Datin Paduka Dr Aini Ideris said the university's achievement in this ranking is in line with the university's Putra Global 100 target to be among top 100 best universities in the world within the next three years.
"UPM's performance saw a rise in almost all indicators evaluated by QS, with international student indicators reaching the highest among other Malaysian universities. This is in line with UPM's effort to strengthen international collaborations through many internationalisation programmes.
"The Strategic Plan 2021-2025 and the Transformation Plan Beyond 2025 which is already in its framing process will be an important platform to continue the legacy of excellence internationally," she added.
The ranking sees Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) retain its status as the world's leading young institution. NTU is closely followed by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, South Korea's KAIST, and City University of Hong Kong. All of the top four institutions have also reached the global top-50 in the overall QS World University Rankings despite their relatively recent formation.
According to QS research director Ben Sowter, the decision to publish a list of the world's top 50 young universities are based on two recognitions.
"The first is that reputations, resources, and world-class outcomes are typically built over time, and, in the higher education sector, the period over which some institutions have been able to do so has been one of centuries.
"The second is that higher education is not static; it is in flux, and, by identifying trends across this particular ranking, it is possible to identify those higher education sectors that are becoming increasingly – or less – prominent.
"We are therefore keen to illuminate the outstanding achievements made by universities that have not enjoyed the same historical advantages as their competitors."
He added as the world faces unprecedented higher education demand, such capacity-building work demands the creation of new institutions equipped to teach and research to world-class standards.
The full rankings can be found at www.TopUniversities.com. It will also include the 'Next 100 Under 50', meaning that the published table will enumerate the 150 best universities under 50 years of age.