Kota Bharu: Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) recorded a Graduate Employment (GE) rate of 97.2 per cent last year, up from 94.5 per cent in 2023. UMK Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Arham Abdullah announced this achievement, highlighting a concurrent Graduate Marketability (GM) rate of 96.7 per cent during the same period, at the Pro-Chancellor Proclamation and 14th UMK Convocation Ceremony.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Prof Dr Arham emphasized the university’s commitment to improving both GE and GM rates, noting that since 2019 and 2020, UMK has consistently recorded rates above 90 per cent, a significant increase from just 58 per cent in 2017. He attributed this success to UMK’s focus on producing graduates who meet industry demands.

Prof Dr Arham also mentioned several key milestones achieved by UMK last year. The university was ranked in the 401-600 band in the Times Higher Education Global Impact Rankings 2024. At the Asian level, UMK placed in the 501-600 bracket in the World University Rankings Asia 2024, aligning it with other world-class universities in the region.

For the first time, UMK was listed among the top five universities in Malaysia under the Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2025, in the 201-250 band. Additionally, UMK received the 2025 Employers’ Choice award as part of the 2025 Talentbank’s National Graduate Employability Index initiative.

During the convocation ceremony, 3,014 graduates received their degrees, including 53 Doctor of Philosophy graduates, four Doctor of Business Administration recipients, 139 Master’s degree holders, and 2,818 Bachelor’s degree graduates. Among them were 59 international graduates from eight countries. Since its inception 18 years ago, UMK has produced a total of 23,677 graduates.