# University of Malaya
**Universiti Malaya** (UM) is a public research university in [Kuala Lumpur](https://www.edgepedia.org/kuala-lumpur) and the oldest university in Malaysia, tracing its origin to the King Edward VII College of Medicine founded in Singapore on 28 September 1905.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) The present institution was established on 1 January 1962, when the Kuala Lumpur division of the original University of Malaya became a national university of the [Federation of Malaya](https://www.edgepedia.org/federation-of-malaya) under the University of Malaya Act passed by parliament in 1961.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [2](https://strategy.um.edu.my/img/files/Pelan%20Strategik%20UM%20%282021%20-%202025%29.pdf) Its campus covers 922 acres (373.12 hectares) in the southwest of the capital.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Oldest university in Malaysia | Roots in the King Edward VII College of Medicine, Singapore, founded 28 September 1905[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) |
| University of Malaya founded | 8 October 1949, by merger of King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) |
| Kuala Lumpur institution | Established 1 January 1962 under legislation passed in 1961[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) |
| Campus | 922 acres (373.12 hectares) in southwest Kuala Lumpur[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) |
| Motto | "Ilmu Punca Kemajuan" ("Knowledge is the Source of Progress")[2](https://strategy.um.edu.my/img/files/Pelan%20Strategik%20UM%20%282021%20-%202025%29.pdf) |
| Structure | 13 faculties, two academies, and three academic centers; more than 2,500 academic and 3,500 non-academic staff[3](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf) |
| QS ranking 2027 | 56th in the world, its highest-ever position and first in Malaysia[4](https://um.edu.my/news/universiti-malaya-achieves-highest-ever-global-ranking-of-56th-in-qs-world-university-rankings-2027) |
| THE ranking 2027 | =194th in the World University Rankings[5](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-malaya) |
## Origins in Singapore
The university's earliest predecessor, the King Edward VII College of Medicine, was founded in Singapore in 1905 to train the first Malayan doctors.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [6](https://umacademic.um.edu.my/2023/UMIntro_Slides_V30.03.2023_full%20version.pdf) Raffles College, an arts and social sciences institution, was established in 1928 according to the university's own history page, although QS and [Times Higher Education](https://www.edgepedia.org/times-higher-education) profiles give 1929.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [7](https://www.qs-topuniversities.cn/en/universities/universiti-malaya-um) • [5](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-malaya)
The name University of Malaya was first used on 8 October 1949, when the two colleges merged to form a national institution serving the higher education needs of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [8](https://medicine.um.edu.my/pdf/handbook_ug/GB_MBBS_2324.pdf) The name derives from the term "Malaya", as the country was then known. The Carr-Saunders Commission on University Education in Malaya, which recommended the university's creation, had reported in 1948 that a University of Malaya would provide "for the first time a common centre where varieties of race, religion and economic interest could mingle in joint endeavour".[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) The commission recommended that there was no need for a transitional university college stage and that a University of Malaya with Faculties of Arts, Science and Medicine should be created at once.[9](https://nus.edu.sg/nuslibraries/whats-on-listing/news/2026/03/10/from-commission-to-campus-the-higher-education-reports-behind-the-founding-of-the-university-of-malaya-14770)
## Division and re-establishment in Kuala Lumpur
Growth in the university's first decade led to the creation of two autonomous divisions on 15 January 1959, one in Singapore and one in Kuala Lumpur.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) In 1960 the governments of the two territories indicated that the divisions should become separate national universities. Legislation passed in 1961 established the Universiti Malaya on 1 January 1962; the Singapore division later became the [National University of Singapore](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-university-of-singapore).[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [3](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf) The student population at the 1962 establishment was about 330.[8](https://medicine.um.edu.my/pdf/handbook_ug/GB_MBBS_2324.pdf)
On 16 June 1962 the university installed its first [Chancellor](https://www.edgepedia.org/chancellor), Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, who was also the country's first prime minister; the ceremony was held at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) • [10](https://umconvo.um.edu.my/about-um-convo) The first Vice-Chancellor was Professor Sir Alexander Oppenheim, a mathematician, who served from September 1956 to June 1965.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) Royal Professor Ungku A. Aziz, an economist, held the vice-chancellorship from October 1968 to February 1988, the longest tenure on the university's list of former vice-chancellors.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history) The current Chancellor is Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan.[1](https://www.um.edu.my/history)
## Campus and academic structure
The Kuala Lumpur campus was established in 1959, and the [University Hospital](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-hospital) opened in 1968.[6](https://umacademic.um.edu.my/2023/UMIntro_Slides_V30.03.2023_full%20version.pdf) The Universiti Malaya Medical Centre is described by the university as the first and biggest teaching hospital in Malaysia and a major referral center.[2](https://strategy.um.edu.my/img/files/Pelan%20Strategik%20UM%20%282021%20-%202025%29.pdf)
Today the university is organized into 13 faculties, two academies (the Academy of Islamic Studies and the Academy of Malay Studies), and three academic centers.[3](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf) • [11](https://www.um.edu.my/academics) The Faculty of Engineering traces its department to 1954, when C.A.M. Gray was appointed the first Professor of Engineering, and became a faculty when the campus moved to Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, in 1958.[12](https://engine.um.edu.my/PG/Buku%20Panduan%202022%202023%2005.pdf) The Faculty of Science is the university's largest, with nearly 3,000 undergraduate students, 900 postgraduate students, 226 academic staff, and 265 support staff.[13](https://fs.um.edu.my/history) Student numbers have grown from about 330 in 1962 to almost 30,000.[8](https://medicine.um.edu.my/pdf/handbook_ug/GB_MBBS_2324.pdf) In 2012 the Ministry of Higher Education granted UM autonomy.[3](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf)
## Rankings and standing
UM's rise in the [QS World University Rankings](https://www.edgepedia.org/qs-world-university-rankings) has been steady over the past decade: it entered the world top 100 in 2019, ranked 59th in 2021, 60th in 2025, 58th in 2026, and 56th in 2027, its highest position to date.[14](https://strategy.um.edu.my/quacquarelli-symonds-qs) • [7](https://www.qs-topuniversities.cn/en/universities/universiti-malaya-um) • [4](https://um.edu.my/news/universiti-malaya-achieves-highest-ever-global-ranking-of-56th-in-qs-world-university-rankings-2027) The 2027 edition evaluated 8,808 institutions and published 1,504; UM ranked first in Malaysia and led the country in academic reputation, employer reputation, employment outcomes, and sustainability.[4](https://um.edu.my/news/universiti-malaya-achieves-highest-ever-global-ranking-of-56th-in-qs-world-university-rankings-2027) In the Times Higher Education system, where UM first appeared in 2018 in the 351–400 band, it reached 201–250 in the 2026 rankings and =194th in 2027.[15](https://strategy.um.edu.my/times-higher-education) • [16](https://ias.um.edu.my/img/Welcoming/Welcoming%202025/Semester%201/Academic%20Program%20%28Research%29%20-%20Welcoming%20Session%20Sem%20I%202025%402026.pdf) • [5](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-malaya)
In subject rankings, UM's Education subject placed 38th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, and in the THE subject rankings for 2026 Education Studies stood at =80th.[17](https://education.um.edu.my/UG%20Student/booklet/BUKU%20PANDUAN-ID-2025-2026_compressed.pdf) • [5](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-malaya) Domestically, the university holds a 6-star rating under Malaysia's SETARA assessment for 2020, the highest level in that system.[18](https://strategy.um.edu.my/setara) The university has graduated three prime ministers of Malaysia, among other political, business, and cultural figures.[3](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf)
## References
1. [History, Universiti Malaya](https://www.um.edu.my/history)
2. [UM at a Glance, Strategic Plan 2021–2025](https://strategy.um.edu.my/img/files/Pelan%20Strategik%20UM%20%282021%20-%202025%29.pdf)
3. [About the University, Faculty of Built Environment Handbook 2024/2025](https://fbe.um.edu.my/Documents%20and%20Files/BukuPanduan/Buku%20Panduan%202024_2025_5th_24sept2024.pdf)
4. [Universiti Malaya Achieves Highest-Ever Global Ranking of 56th in QS World University Rankings 2027](https://um.edu.my/news/universiti-malaya-achieves-highest-ever-global-ranking-of-56th-in-qs-world-university-rankings-2027)
5. [University of Malaya, World University Rankings, Times Higher Education](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/university-malaya)
6. [Universiti Malaya introductory slides](https://umacademic.um.edu.my/2023/UMIntro_Slides_V30.03.2023_full%20version.pdf)
7. [Universiti Malaya (UM) profile, QS](https://www.qs-topuniversities.cn/en/universities/universiti-malaya-um)
8. [MBBS Undergraduate Handbook, Faculty of Medicine](https://medicine.um.edu.my/pdf/handbook_ug/GB_MBBS_2324.pdf)
9. [From Commission to Campus: The Higher Education Reports Behind the Founding of the University of Malaya, NUS Libraries](https://nus.edu.sg/nuslibraries/whats-on-listing/news/2026/03/10/from-commission-to-campus-the-higher-education-reports-behind-the-founding-of-the-university-of-malaya-14770)
10. [About UM Convo, Universiti Malaya Convocation](https://umconvo.um.edu.my/about-um-convo)
11. [Academics, Universiti Malaya](https://www.um.edu.my/academics)
12. [History of the Faculty, Faculty of Engineering Handbook 2022/2023](https://engine.um.edu.my/PG/Buku%20Panduan%202022%202023%2005.pdf)
13. [History, Faculty of Science](https://fs.um.edu.my/history)
14. [Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Corporate Strategy, Universiti Malaya](https://strategy.um.edu.my/quacquarelli-symonds-qs)
15. [Times Higher Education, Corporate Strategy, Universiti Malaya](https://strategy.um.edu.my/times-higher-education)
16. [Academic Program (Research) Welcoming Session slides, Institute of Advanced Studies](https://ias.um.edu.my/img/Welcoming/Welcoming%202025/Semester%201/Academic%20Program%20%28Research%29%20-%20Welcoming%20Session%20Sem%20I%202025%402026.pdf)
17. [Undergraduate Handbook 2025/2026, Faculty of Education](https://education.um.edu.my/UG%20Student/booklet/BUKU%20PANDUAN-ID-2025-2026_compressed.pdf)
18. [SETARA, Corporate Strategy, Universiti Malaya](https://strategy.um.edu.my/setara)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Education and knowledge institutions › Higher education › Universities and colleges in Asia › Universities in Southeast Asia and the Middle East*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license