KUALA NERUS, Oct 18 (Bernama)– Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has strengthened its global standing, ranking 90th worldwide in marine and freshwater biology while recording progress across several international university ranking systems.
UMT vice-chancellor Prof Dr Suriyani Muhamad said the university was placed in the 800–1,000 band in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027 and the 201–300 band in the THE Impact Rankings 2026.
UMT also rose to 177th place in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2026, which assesses universities’ environmental sustainability performance.
Suriyani said the university’s sustainability efforts included installing solar panels on campus buildings, adopting renewable energy, using electric vehicles and implementing rainwater harvesting systems at residential colleges.
She said the achievements reflected improvements in academic quality, research, international reputation, industry collaboration and community impact.
In marine and freshwater biology, UMT ranked first in Malaysia, 21st in Asia and 90th globally, reaffirming its expertise in marine-related fields.
She was speaking at the university’s 24th Convocation Ceremony at Dewan Sultan Mizan here today.
Suriyani said UMT had introduced new academic programmes for the 2026/2027 session to meet industry demands and emerging challenges. These include degrees in psychology with maritime management, occupational safety and health with environmental technology, cloud computing security, and a master’s programme in data analytics.
The university is also expanding its Open and Distance Learning offerings through four postgraduate programmes in environmental forensics, aquaculture, integrated coastal zone management and data analytics.
Its education tourism programme, which combines learning with cultural experiences, has attracted participants from countries including the United Kingdom, Japan, Belgium, the Maldives, China and Singapore. The programme generated more than RM200,000 in revenue this year.
UMT also recorded the highest student participation rate in mobility programmes among Malaysia’s public universities, with more than 172 programmes conducted across Europe, Asia and Africa.
The university welcomed 2,885 new students into its bachelor’s degree programmes for the 2026/2027 academic session, marking its highest intake to date.
Suriyani said UMT was entering a new phase of strategic development with the establishment of the Bukit Kor Campus in Marang, which is intended to support research, innovation and strategic partnerships.
Under the 13th Malaysia Plan, the university’s priorities include a diving centre on Pulau Bidong, a mobile laboratory and a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Marine Teaching Shipyard complex. It is also developing green infrastructure to support its campus-as-a-living-laboratory concept.
UMT has further implemented the Kampung Angkat MADANI and Sekolah Angkat MADANI programmes to extend its expertise to communities through education, technology, environmental conservation and socio-economic development.
Suriyani said the initiative had received an allocation of RM1 million and was being implemented in Kampung Menerong, Ajil, Hulu Terengganu, with similar programmes in Pulau Pangkor, Perak, and Kota Tinggi, Johor.
The four-day convocation will see 2,829 graduates receive their doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and diploma qualifications.
At the first session today, Julia El Myra Johan and Cindy Lim Hui Ling received the Royal Academic Award, while S. Thimuniswaran was awarded the Chancellor’s Gold Medal.
This year’s convocation also coincides with UMT’s Silver Jubilee celebration, themed “25 Years of UMT: Spearheading the Nation’s Blue Economy Agenda”.
UMT has also introduced 42 “Alumni Seats” for guests at each convocation session, beginning with this year’s ceremony.
About The Author
