The QS Asia University Rankings was launched with the aim of highlighting the top universities in Asia, shining a spotlight on the rapid development of many higher education systems in this dynamic world region. The methodology is adapted from that used for the QS World University Ranking, such as Academic Reputation; Employer Reputation; and Faculty to Student Ratio, but also considers a set of performance metrics carefully tailored for the region.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 
improved its performance and leaped 14 places to #49 in the QS Asia University Rankings 2018. Considering there are approximately 11,900 universities regionally*, this makes UTM one of the top 1.0% universities in Asia.
Based on the performance indicators assessed, and at #19 the Faculty Student indicator is the strongest one for UTM. Additionally, UTM also performed well in the International Student indicator. This significant performance is largely attributed to the strong commitment by UTM faculty members to provide the best support in facilitating students’ learning experience, while harnessing potential talents among students to strive for excellence.
UTM is also set to engage in more impactful research collaborations that can ultimately lead to improved performance through joint publications and increased citations. At the same time, UTM will continue its efforts in enhancing research collaborations with partners across the globe especially in areas of mutual interests. This would help UTM researchers to leap forward and stay relevant and visible among peers at the global level.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that although rankings are useful for benchmarking, they should neither be viewed as the only measure of excellence, nor should they dictate how a university should move forward.
What is more important is to focus on the fundamentals of quality education, enhancing academic and research capacity and instilling a strong mindset and culture for improved reputation at the global level. This is what UTM will continue to strive for to reach greater heights.