KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Malaysian universities are showing steady progress in sustainability, with 17 of 33 ranked institutions improving their positions in the 2026 QS World University Rankings: Sustainability.
Universiti Malaya (UM) remains Malaysia’s highest-ranked university overall at 166th globally, although it dropped out of the world top 150, having dipped compared to last year when it placed 115th.
UCSI University delivered Malaysia’s standout performance in environmental sustainability, ranking 18th worldwide in this specific indicator.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia also excelled in environmental sustainability, placing 71st globally in the same indicator.
Malaysia now has 33 universities featured in the QS Sustainability rankings, including four new entries.
While 17 institutions improved their overall scores, 11 fell and one remained unchanged, reflecting broad but uneven progress in governance, social, and environmental dimensions.
Despite not breaking into the global top 100 overall, Malaysian universities are performing particularly well in environmental sustainability and knowledge exchange.
Regional comparisons
Malaysia trailed its southern neighbour Singapore, which has two universities in the global top 100: National University of Singapore at 69th and Nanyang Technological University at 99th.
Thailand showed the strongest momentum in South-east Asia, with 13 of its 19 ranked universities improving, giving it an overall improvement rate of 58 per cent, the highest in the world among systems with at least 10 ranked institutions.
Across Asia, Seoul National University in South Korea leads at 37th, followed by the University of Tokyo at 48th and National Taiwan University at 72nd.
China remains the second most represented country, with 163 universities in the rankings and 49 new entries. Fudan University is China’s highest-ranked institution at 140th, while the University of Hong Kong tops Hong Kong at 137th.
India’s highest-ranked university, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, fell out of the top 200, placing 205th.
Best worldwide
Globally, Lund University in Sweden, the University of Toronto in Canada, and University College London in the UK maintain the top three positions.
The annual QS Sustainability Rankings assess universities on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact.
They measure sustainability in teaching, research, and operations, including green research, sustainability courses, alumni impact, and institutional commitments.
The ranking shows how universities contribute to global sustainability goals.
Although Malaysian universities are not yet among the global elite overall, their rising environmental sustainability scores, particularly UCSI’s top-20 performance, reflect growing regional competitiveness and a stronger presence in ESG-focused higher education.
