Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) climbed 149 places from 730th to 581st in the global Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026, rising from third to first in Malaysia’s national rankings [1, 2, 3].
The ARWU evaluates over 2,500 universities worldwide annually but publishes rankings for only the top 1,000 [1, 2, 3]. It bases its assessments on academic and research performance indicators, including Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureates (30%), highly cited researchers (20%), publications in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science, indexed articles in the Science Citation Index-Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, and per-capita academic output [1, 2, 3].
USM’s strong showing in the 2026 rankings was supported by a global rank of 424th on the Publication indicator and 503rd on the Highly Cited Researchers indicator [1, 2, 3]. These achievements reflect USM’s growth in research productivity, publication quality, and citation impact.
An APEX university, USM commented that "Thirty per cent of the overall ARWU assessment is related to Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners, while another 20 per cent is allocated to HiCi, meaning half of the evaluation is directly linked to world-class academic achievements and researchers with highly influential citations" [2].
The rise from 730th globally in 2025 to 581st in 2026 demonstrates a strengthening research ecosystem and improved academic output at USM [1, 2, 3]. The university’s new top ranking within Malaysia marks a notable milestone in the nation’s higher education sector.
The ARWU 2027 rankings are expected in August next year, when further changes to university standings will be revealed.
