GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has climbed seven places to 27th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, placing it among the top two per cent of universities in Asia.
The ranking places USM among the leading institutions out of 1,725 universities evaluated across the continent.
USM recorded improvements across three key evaluation areas — Global Engagement, Learning Experience, and Research and Discovery — with gains in seven of the 11 indicators.
The university achieved perfect scores in two key indicators, namely International Research Network (IRN) and International Student Ratio, reflecting its global engagement and diverse campus community.
Under the IRN indicator, USM recorded sustained improvement over the past five editions, climbing from 15th place in the 2023 edition to second place in the 2027 rankings.
USM also recorded a significant improvement in the Inbound Exchange Students indicator, rising 76 places to 167th from 243rd in 2026.
In reputation-related indicators, the university scored 99.7 per cent for Academic Reputation and 98.7 per cent for Employer Reputation, reflecting confidence in its academic standing and graduate employability.
Further improvements were recorded in Faculty Student Ratio, Staff with PhD, International Faculty, Papers per Faculty and Citations per Paper, highlighting continued efforts to improve teaching quality and research output.
“This milestone reinforces USM’s standing as a competitive, research-intensive university in the region.
“This is driven by continuous efforts to expand global partnerships and academic excellence,” the university said.
In June, USM climbed six places to 128th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2027, further strengthening its position among the world’s leading universities.