Kuala Lampur:Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has achieved a significant milestone by breaking into the top 350 universities globally, securing a position in the 326-350 band in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the university's new ranking places it in the top 15 percent of the 2,297 universities featured in the latest edition of the rankings. This marks a steady progression for USM, which had previously been ranked in the 601-800 band from 2020 to 2023 and in the 401-500 band from 2024 to 2026.

USM highlighted that this achievement underscores the advancement of a Malaysian research university in a competitive global environment. Improvements were noted across all five assessment components of THE rankings. The university's internationalisation efforts stood out, with a score of 80.4, up from 76.5 in the previous edition, showcasing its international dimension through the presence of international students, staff, and research collaborations.

Significant progress was also recorded in industry engagement, with the Industry component score increasing by 10.6 points to 75.1, marking the largest improvement among the components. This enhancement reinforces knowledge transfer as a core strength, linking research with innovation and technology development.

Further, the Research Quality component achieved a score of 66.2, while other improvements were seen in the Teaching and Research Environment components, reflecting advancements in the university's learning environment and research capacity.

USM emphasized that this recognition comes with the responsibility of leveraging academic excellence for societal benefit, with a focus on education that nurtures talent and research that addresses national and global challenges. The university expressed gratitude to its academic community, researchers, staff, students, and its industry and community partners for their contributions to this achievement.