Malaysian universities are making serious waves on the global stage. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) just proved it by being ranked 14th in the world in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.
This makes USM the top of the list among Malaysian universities.
According to the rankings released on June 18, USM shares the 14th spot with four other institutions, including National Taiwan University and three Canadian universities.
It also climbed up from 18th place in 2024, showing strong progress in promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Other Malaysian universities that shine
Close behind USM is Universiti Malaya (UM), which ranked 25th globally, tying with Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and Australia’s Central Queensland University.
But the surprise breakout this year is Sunway University, which leapt from the 201–300 group last year to rank 81st globally, its best showing ever in the rankings.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) also made it into the Top 100, coming in at 53rd place.
M’sia leads the world in 3 UN goals
Malaysia didn’t just perform well overall but also ranked first globally in three out of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
USM was ranked number one in the world for both SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), thanks to its continued efforts in social responsibility and institutional strength.
In addition, USM and UM jointly took the top spot for SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), recognising their efforts in building strong collaborations to support the SDG agenda.
UM also stood out in several other categories. It ranked 6th in Asia for SDG 14 (Life Below Water), 7th globally for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 12th globally for SDG 15 (Life on Land), showing its consistent impact in environmental and urban development.
Other Malaysian universities had their own wins too. Universiti Sultan Ahmad Shah (UniPSAS) ranked 18th in SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), while Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) came in 41st for SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
UKM also earned 26th place for SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), reflecting the diverse strengths across the country’s higher education landscape.
Asia leads the charge in sustainability
A total of 2,526 universities from 130 countries made it into this year’s rankings — the highest number to date.
For the first time ever, Asian universities accounted for more than half of all entries, showing the region’s growing commitment to sustainability in education.
Global Top 10 of 2025 THE Impact Rankings
- Western Sydney University (Australia)
- University of Manchester (UK)
- Kyungpook National University (South Korea)
- Griffith University (Australia)
- University of Tasmania (Australia)
- Arizona State University (USA)
- Queen’s University (Canada)
- University of Alberta (Canada)
- Aalborg University (Denmark)
- Airlangga University (Indonesia)
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