1.University of Malaya
The University of Malaya, a public research university in Kuala Lumpur, is Malaysia’s oldest university, founded in 1905.
Originally known as the King Edward VII College of Medicine, it was created to solve a shortage of medical assistants in Singapore and Penang during the late 1890s. It was then housed in the old asylum near the Singapore General Hospital.
In 1949 the university merged with Raffles College, a school established in 1929 by the English for Malayans to study arts and social sciences, to become the University of Malaya, derived from the country’s name at the time.
In 1960, the government decided that, due to its rapid growth, the university would be divided into two national universities, one in Singapore (now an autonomous separate university known as the National University of Singapore), and the other in Kuala Lumpur (established as its own institution in 1962, still retaining its name as the University of Malaya).
The university’s Coat of Arms shows the leaves of the Palmyra palm, which were used as printing material for ancient Malay books. Across these is written the university’s motto, ‘Ilmu Puncha Kemajuan’, a mixture of words from Arabi, Sanskrit and Malay, which means "knowledge is the source of progress". In the centre are three Malayan tigers, symbolising the three main races in Malaysia: Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Today the campus is located 12km from the centre of Kuala Lumpur, on 920 acres, which include an Olympic sized swimming pool and a lake with kayaking. It has been granted self-accreditation since 2009, and has more than 60 research centres with six research clusters.
Notable alumni include two prime ministers of Malaysia, as well as many politicians and other prominent figures from Malaysia and abroad.
2.Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) is one of the leading progressive private universities in Malaysia. The University was established in 2002 as a not-for-profit private university and is wholly-owned by the UTAR Education Foundation.
With the first intake of only 411 students in one campus in 2002, the university now has more than a total of 25,000 students in 2 campuses.
UTAR has graduated over 50,000 students since its inaugural convocation in 2005 and has made impressive strides in establishing a strong reputation as a comprehensive University with dedication to achieving excellence in teaching and research. The University was awarded self-accreditation status by the Ministry of Higher Education in 2017, an indication of UTAR’s quality and efficient administration of its programmes and operations.
The University currently offers more than 110 academic programmes in its nine faculties, four centres and three institutes. The programmes offered are from Foundation to Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees. Its diverse range of quality and industry-focused programmes are all approved by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). UTAR’s programmes have also received accreditation from more than 20 international and Malaysian professional bodies.
The University is committed to promoting research and scholastic developments in diverse fields through its Research, Development and Commercialisation (RDC) initiatives, its 30 research centres and the UTAR Global Research Network. The UTAR Undergraduate Research Scheme (URS) was initiated to allow undergraduates undergo a structured programme to train them in various aspects of research project implementation.
To date, the University has established formal collaborations with over 200 educational institutions and industry corporations, both local and overseas, to facilitate international exchanges, research and training.
3.Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP)
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) was established on 10 January 1997 and is the number 1 private university in Malaysia.
UTP offers a wide range of industry-relevant engineering, science and technology programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and aims to produce well-rounded graduates with excellent leadership qualities and communication abilities.
UTP has produced more than 15,000 graduates and currently has an enrollment of over 1,200 foundation students, 6,000 undergraduates and 1,200 postgraduates from more than 66 countries around the world.
The university conducts extensive research activities in collaboration with PETRONAS and other institutions and industries, locally and abroad, on six research focus and niche areas. They are sustainable living, transport infrastructure, health analytics, hydrocarbon recovery, contaminant management and autonomous system.
Programmes Offered
Undergraduate Programmes
Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Chemical Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Computer Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Petroleum Engineering
Geoscience
Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Petroleum Geoscience
Technology
Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Business Information Systems
Bachelor of Technology (Hons) Information and Communication Technology
Sciences
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Applied Chemistry
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Applied Physics
Postgraduate Programmes
Engineering
MSc in Chemical Engineering
MSc in Petroleum Engineering
MSc in Petroleum Geoscience
MSc in Civil Engineering
MSc in Mechanical Engineering
MSc in Electrical & Electronic Engineering
PhD in Chemical Engineering
PhD in Petroleum Engineering
PhD in Petroleum Geoscience
PhD in Civil Engineering
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
PhD in Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Technology
MSc in Information Technology
PhD in Information Technology
Sciences
Master of Science (MSc)
PhD of Science
Management & Humanities
M Phil in Management
M Phil in Social Science & Humanities
PhD in Social Science & Humanities
PhD in Management
Masters by Coursework
MSc in Petroleum Engineering
MSc in Petroleum Geoscience
MSc in Asset Management and Maintenance
MSc in Electronic System Engineering
MSc in Process Integration
MBA in Energy Management
MSc in Drilling Engineering
MSc in Offshore Engineering
MSc in Process Safety
4.Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is a public research university with a focus on engineering, science and technology.
It offers courses in subjects ranging from architecture and accounting, to electrical engineering and Islamic studies.
About 2,600 academic staff teach an 18,000-strong student body, of whom about 2,500 come from overseas.
UTM’s history stretches back to 1904 with the opening of a technical school that later became a college, then an institute, before becoming a university in the 1970s.
The institution has two campuses, one in the centre of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur, and the other in the city of Johor Bahru, the state capital of Johor state, which is at the southern tip of peninsular Malaysia. The latter location is UTM’s main campus and there are 10 residential colleges at this site.
Sports facilities at UTM include a soccer stadium, which was opened in 2011 and can seat almost 40,000 people, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and kayaking and horse-riding centres.
The motto of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia is “in the name of god for mankind” and its maroon and gold emblem is made up of an open book, symbolising the Koran; a round-bottomed flask, a symbol of science; a crescent, the symbol of Islam, and a golden circle, symbolising the universe.
UTM's core values are: committed, communicative, creative, consistent and competent. It also has an official song, “Keunggulan Terbilang”.
The state of Johor, known for its beaches and rainforests, has a causeway connecting it with the city state of Singapore, while Kuala Lumpur boasts the Petronas Twin Towers, the National Mosque of Malaysia, and the Batu Caves.
Well-known alumni include the Malaysian politicians Wee Ka Siong and Sim Tze Tzin.
5.Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has roots dating back to 1931 when it was first established as the School of Agriculture. Despite a series of name changes over the years, it has maintained a focus on agriculture while also becoming a prominent research university.
Today, UPM is made up of 16 faculties, 16 centres, nine institutes, one school, and one academy. Within each faculty are a number of individual departments, spread across two campuses. The main campus, covering over 1,000 hectares of land, is situated in the town of Serdang with a branch campus, set within 700 hectares, is located in Bintulu, a coastal town in Borneo.
In total, around 24,000 students attend UPM including approximately 4,500 international students. Just over half of the student body is made up of undergraduates, with around 10,000 studying at postgraduate level. Each year, UPM accepts around 1,300 inbound exchange students, sending about the same to study overseas.
Campus life at UPM is extensive and there is much more to life at the university beyond the lecture theatre. There are 17 colleges for accommodation, a range of associations and clubs, including many arts and cultural clubs.
In terms of sport facilities, there is a gym, sports hall, outdoor swimming pool, a football pitch with under soil drainage, a multi-purpose Astroturf pitch, tennis courts, a floodlit athletics park, a football stadium and an 18-hole golf course.
Through the Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Agreement, UPM has a number of partnerships with universities around the globe. These links cover mobility programmes, staff and student exchanges, research collaborations, commercialised activities and technology transfer.
A number of joint degree programmes are offered in collaboration with other universities and UPM awards some PhDs in conjunction with the UK’s universities of Sheffield and Nottingham.