SETARA 2019: The Best Universities in Malaysia Ranked by MQA
SETARA 2019
SETARA 2018/2019: A Malaysian Ranking System of the Best Universities in Malaysia
With 20 public and 437 private universities & colleges in Malaysia to choose from, how do students and parents decide which is the best university or college?
It is inevitable for the public to form perceptions based on rankings and/or ratings. SETARA, a rating system developed and introduced by the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) in 2007, ensures that the standards of HEIs are based on autonomy, quality and institutional performance.
Developed under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2015-2025 for Higher Education, SETARA employs a rigorous assessment methodology to rate an education institution’s three core functions, namely teaching, research and services. Although measured against the same performance metric, each of the three categories have their own weightage so that their diversity, as well as unique strengths and challenges specific to their niche are fairly represented.
The latest rating exercise was completed in 2018/2019 involving institutions of university and university college status, which performance are rated and weighted as follows:
- Mature universities: Universities which are over 15 years old.
- Emerging universities: Universities which have been established within the last 15 years.
- University colleges: Institutions with university college status regardless of their history.
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Ranking of Top Universities & Colleges in Malaysia According to SETARA 2019 and MyQuest
Eight Malaysian higher education institutions achieved six stars in the Rating System for the Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (Setara) 2018/2019. Additionally, 14 private universities achieved six stars in the Malaysian Quality Evaluation System for Private Colleges (MyQuest) 2018/2019.
The colleges are Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT), SEGi College Subang Jaya, Sunway College, SEGi College Kota Damansara, Kolej Poly-Tech Mara Kuantan, SEGi College Penang, Putra International College, Equator College, Despark College, SEGi College Sarawak , IBS College, Skills Development Integration College, Hafiz College and Mantin International Institute of Science.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said Malaysian universities have recorded a continuous improvement in the 2018/2019 academic year.
SETARA 2018/2019 RATING RESULT
Category Mature (Universities which are over 15 years old)
SETARA 6 Stars
- Universiti Malaya (UM)
- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
- Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)
- International Medical University (IMU)
- Monash University Malaysia
SETARA 5 Stars
Mak, Ong & Chaw – Diploma in Information Technology (IT) at Multimedia University (MMU)
- Multimedia University (MMU)
- The University Of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNM)
- UCSI University
- Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)
- Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)
- Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)
- International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
- Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
- Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL)
- Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
- Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
- Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
- Curtin University, Malaysia
- Swinburne University Of Technology Sarawak Campus
- Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)
SETARA 4 Stars
- Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM)
- Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM)
- Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI)
- Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
- AIMST University
- Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur (IUKL)
SETARA 3 Stars
- Open University Malaysia (OUM)
- Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT)
- Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST)
- Universiti Selangor (UNISEL)
Category Emerging universities (Universities which have been established within the last 15 years)
SETARA 5 Stars
- Taylor’s University
- Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU)
- Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM)
- Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
- Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK)
- International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF)
- Management and Science University (MSU)
- Sunway University
- SEGi University
- Manipal International University
SETARA 4 Stars
Renee Tan, Mechanical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
- Heriot-Watt University Malaysia (HWUM)
- HELP University
- MAHSA University
- Nilai University
- Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
- Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA)
- Asia Metropolitan University
- Wawasan Open University (WOU)
- Perdana University
- INTI International University
- Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed)
- Asia e University (AeU)
- City University
- Putra Business School (PBS)
- Quest International University Perak
SETARA 3 Stars
Lucas, A-Levels at HELP Academy & Law Degree from Queens University Belfast
- Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (UniSHAMS)
- Malaysia Institute For Supply Chain Innovation (MISI)
- UNITAR International University
- Binary University of Management & Entrepreneurship (BUME)
- Raffles University (RU)
- International University of Malaya-Wales (IUMW)
- Al-Madinah International University (MEDIU)
SETARA 2 Stars
- University of Reading Malaysia
Category University Colleges
SETARA 5 Stars
- Kolej University Sains Perubatan Cyberjaya (CUCMS) )
(Nama Baharu: University of Cyberjaya (UoC) ) - Lincoln University College
- Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC)
- University College TATI
- Widad University College
SETARA 4 Stars
Brendon, Entertainment Arts graduate from KDU University College
- KDU University College
- BERJAYA University College
- Linton University College
- Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor (KUIS)
- KPJ Healthcare University College
- University College Bestari
- Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College (KLMUC)
- Southern University College
- University College of Technology Sarawak
SETARA 3 Stars
- University Malaysia of Computer Science and Engineering (UNIMY)
- International University College of Technology Twintech
- Kolej Universiti Islam Melaka (KUIM)
- Kolej Universiti Islam Perlis (KUIPs)
SETARA 2 Stars
- University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF)
SETARA 1 Stars
- North Borneo University College (NBUC)
MyQUEST 2018/2019 RATING RESULT
Category Large (Enrolment > 2000 students)
SETARA 6 Stars
- Kolej SEGi Subang Jaya
- Kolej Sunway (Kuala Lumpur)
SETARA 5 Stars
- Kolej SEGi Kuala Lumpur
- Kolej INTI Antarabangsa Pulau Pinang
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Kota Bharu
- Kolej Yayasan Pelajaran Johor
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Bangi
SETARA 4 Stars
- Kolej Antarabangsa INTI Subang
- Kolej Islam Antarabangsa
- Kolej Antarabangsa Unifield
SETARA 3 Stars
- Kolej Brickfields Asia
SETARA 2 Stars
- INTEC Education College
Category Medium (Enrolment 601-1999 students)
SETARA 6 Stars
- Institut Teknologi Maklumat Asia Pasifik (APIIT)
- Kolej SEGi Kota Damansara
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Kuantan
- Kolej SEGi Pulau Pinang
SETARA 5 Stars
Gary, Accounting Graduate from University of Wollongong Malaysia (UOWM) KDU
- Kolej Disted
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Alor Setar
- Kolej Erican
- Kolej Antarabangsa Teknologi Lanjutan Sarawak
- Kolej Newton
- Kolej MCS
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Batu Pahat
- Kolej FTMS
- Kolej UNITI
- Kolej MSU Shah Alam
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA Ipoh
- German Malaysian Institute (GMI)
- Kolej Pengajian Islam Johor (MARSAH)
- Advance Tertiary College (ATC)
- RANACO Education and Training Institute (RETI)
- The One Academy of Communication Design
- Sunway College Johor Bahru
- Kolej MSU Penang
- Kolej Antarabangsa Yayasan Melaka
- Institut Makanan Malaysia
SETARA 4 Stars
Fu Wei, Diploma in Culinary Arts Graduate from YTL International College of Hotel Management
- Melaka International College of Science & Technology (MICOST)
- Kolej Islam Antarabangsa Sultan Ismail Petra (KIAS)
- Institut Methodist Pilley
- Kolej Perubatan Melaka-Manipal
- HELP Academy
- Kolej Methodist Kuala Lumpur
- Kolej Antarabangsa YPC
- Kolej Kesihatan Ramsay Sime Darby
- Kolej Antarabangsa Murni
- Kolej Cosmopoint Kota Kinabalu
- Reliance College
- Kolej Vision
- Kolej Teknikal Yayasan Sabah
- Kolej Seni Dan Teknologi HELP
(Nama Baharu: Kolej Antarabangsa Imperium) - Kolej Profesional Baitulmal Kuala Lumpur
- Kolej Teknologi Antarabangsa Cybernetics
- Kolej IACT (Pengiklanan, Komunikasi & Teknologi Antarabangsa)
- Kolej International Crescendo
- Kolej SIDMA
SETARA 3 Stars
- Kolej Teknologi Sarawak
- KDU College (PJ)
- Kolej Antarabangsa Elite
- Kolej Antarabangsa Westminster
- Kolej I-Systems Kuching
SETARA 2 Stars
- Kolej Antarabangsa Victoria
What is SETARA?
Jasmine, Business Information Systems Graduate from Asia Pacific University (APU)
Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (SETARA) is a ranking exercise universities and university colleges in Malaysia based on the quality of teaching and learning at the level of six (bachelor’s degree) Malaysian Qualifications Framework (Malaysian Qualifications Framework MQF).
The rating is one step the Ministry of Education (MOE) to develop a continuous quality improvement process that complements the quality assurance Malaysian Qualifications Agency (Malaysian Qualifications Agency, MQA). Teaching and learning is fundamental to all universities and SETARA is a medium through the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) measured by an independent committee.
| MATURE UNIVERSITY | EMERGING UNIVERSITY | UNIVERSITY COLLEGE | |
| General | 40% | 40% | 40% |
| Teaching & learning | 30% | 40% | 50% |
| Research | 20% | 15% | 5% |
| Services | 10% | 5% | 5% |
*Weight given for each performance area
University colleges and emerging universities are expected to build their strengths in teaching and overall profile first, whereas mature universities are expected to engage in more research and expand services that they offer.
| General: Instituational Profile | Teaching & Learning | Research Capacity | Services and Income Generation |
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*Detailed criteria employed for SETARA rating for each performance area.
