Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) has maintained its position as Malaysia’s number one private university, placing 242nd globally among 2,297 participating institutions in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027. The result keeps UTP within the world’s Top 250 universities.
The latest result provides an external indication of UTP’s progress in bringing education, research and industry collaboration together, particularly through its focus on industry relevance, applied research, technology and global engagement.
Industry remained UTP’s highest scoring pillar, increasing to 95.8 from 94.5 in the previous edition. This performance reflects the University’s emphasis on industry collaboration, technology transfer and the application of research to create commercial impact.
The University also recorded an International Outlook score of 77.6, reflecting its global engagement through international collaboration and research co-authorship.
Commenting on the results, UTP President Ir. Mohamed Firouz Asnan said, “A ranking position is useful as an external reference point, but it is not the destination. What matters to us is what sits behind that position, whether our education remains relevant, whether our research addresses real needs and whether our partnerships create value beyond the University. Built by industry for industry, this is the purpose that continues to guide UTP.
“Our priority is to further strengthen the quality, visibility and influence of our research. This includes advancing impactful research output, strengthening citation impact, expanding international research collaboration and joint funding opportunities, and increasing our presence in key global research forums. We want the knowledge we generate to contribute to scientific progress and help address global challenges.
“Our industry and international connections provide a strong foundation for this work. They enable our students and researchers to learn from different perspectives, work across borders and solve problems together with our partners. As we continue our transformation journey, our focus remains on turning knowledge into practical solutions and equipping our graduates to thrive as professionals, leaders and contributors to society.
“This recognition belongs to our people, students, alumni and partners whose collective efforts have brought us this far. It gives us confidence to keep moving forward and a responsibility to keep raising the bar. Together, we will continue advancing UTP at the forefront of technology education and research, enabling a better future for the generations to come,” he said.
