GEORGE TOWN, Nov 4 — Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has further strengthened its position as one of Asia’s top universities, climbing seven places to rank 27th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, placing it among the top two per cent of 1,725 universities evaluated across Asia.
It said the latest achievement reflected continued progress in internationalisation, academic excellence, research networks, and learning experience, thus strengthening USM's position as one of Malaysia's leading universities in the region.
"USM achieved perfect scores in two key indicators, namely International Research Network and International Student Ratio, highlighting the strength of its global research networks and the university’s international inclusiveness.
"It also recorded outstanding performances in Academic Reputation, with a score of 99.7 per cent, and Employer Reputation, with a score of 98.7 per cent, reflecting the high recognition of USM’s academic excellence and the quality of its graduates among the academic community and employers,” the institution said in a statement today.
USM also improved in seven of the 11 indicators assessed in the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, demonstrating comprehensive progress across the three key lenses of the ranking: Global Engagement, Learning Experience, and Research and Discovery.
It added that one notable achievement was its improvement in the International Research Network indicator, with USM rising from 15th place in 2023 to second place this year, while further strengthening its performance in research productivity and impact.
Under the Inbound Exchange Students indicator, the APEX university climbed 76 places to 167th, up from 243rd in the 2026 edition, while it also improved in international staff, staff-to-student ratio, and staff with doctoral qualifications.
