Hear, hear! Universiti Malaya (UM) has leveled up to grab the 70th spot in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2020.

This year's improvement saw the prestigious university rising up 17 spots (!!) from last year’s 87th rank.

Notably, that’s the highest rank the university has gotten in 15 years! How awesome is that?

According to a report in The Star Online, UM vice-chancellor Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim attributed their latest ranking to its strategic planning.

“UM has sustained its upward trajectory in the face of fiscal challenges, and emphasises the value of financial support from the government to achieve excellence in teaching, research and innovation,” he was quoted as saying.

Three cheers for UM!
Abdul Rahim added that an increase in investment will enable them to engage in more international collaborations, enhance strategic research and industry partnerships, as well as improve graduate employability.

However, QS research director Ben Sowter said the main reason for UM’s success this year is the score the university achieved for Academic Reputation, which is 40 per cent of the overall score. UM's score in that department rose from 62/100 to 68.2/100 since 2016.

It now ranks 91st in the Academic Reputation indicator, and its Employer Reputation score, meanwhile, has also risen from 56.8/100 to 72/100 in the same timeframe.

Four other research universities from Malaysia, namely Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), UCSI University and Taylor’s University have also improved their rankings.

Well done!