If you’re currently in the middle of preparing to further your studies, whether for yourself, younger sibling or child, the university’s reputation shouldn’t be the only criteria you look at. It is also important to consider how attractive the graduates are to employers.

These three local universities definitely fit the bill as they have successfully made it into the top 500 higher education institutions for the world’s most employable graduates.

New Straits Times reported that University of Malaya (UM), University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have been included in the third edition of the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2018 released on Tuesday.

UiTM Shah Alam.
UM leads the Malaysian pack ranking within the 201 to 250 band with a graduate employment rate of 75.3 per cent. Both UiTM and UKM are ranked between 301 to 500.

This ranking is calculated based on employer reputation, alumni outcomes, partnerships with employers, employer-student connections and graduate employment rate.

The UKM campus.
“These results indicate that universities cannot rely on reputation alone. They also need to ensure that they are committed to innovative teaching methods, proactively forging relationships with businesses, while providing numerous opportunities for students to meet potential future employers,” QS Research Director Ben Sowter reportedly said.

He also added that the ranking is created to help potential students make better informed global comparisons when choosing a university.

The latest rankings show some of the world’s best institutions claiming the top spots, with Stanford University occupying the first place, followed by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Harvard University, The University of Sydney, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

So if you’re currently on the hunt for a university where you’ll be spending your next three to four years, you know where to look. Check out the full ranking here.