 | |
| Motto | Ilmu, Mutu dan Budi[1] |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Knowledge, Quality and Virtue[2] |
| Type | Publicresearch university |
| Established | 18 May 1970; 55 years ago (18 May 1970) |
| Chancellor | Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir |
| Vice-Chancellor | Sufian Jusoh |
| Pro-Chancellors | |
| Students | 49,587 (2025)[3] |
| Undergraduates | 19,20l (2025)[3] |
| Postgraduates | 14,051 (2025)[3] |
| Address | Lingkungan Ilmu, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia ,,,02°55′30″N101°46′53″E / 2.92500°N 101.78139°E /2.92500; 101.78139 |
| Affiliations | ACU,ASAIHL,AUN,AUAP,[4]UAiTED |
| Website | www |
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TheNational University of Malaysia (Malay:Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, abbreviated asUKM) is apublicresearch university located inBandar Baru Bangi,Hulu Langat District,Selangor,Malaysia. Its teaching hospital,Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), is located inCheras and also has a branch campus inKuala Lumpur. The university also has an overseas branch campus inLusail City,Doha since 2023.
In 2022, there were 39,524 students enrolled at the university: 22,127 undergraduate students, 14,744 are postgraduate students, with 9,083 beingMaster's degree students and 5,691 beingPhD students. Other than that, there are also 413 Asasi Pintar students, 2,175postgraduate diploma students, and 35graduate diploma students.[5]
Among the students, 4,914 of them are international students from 66 countries, of which 60% are postgraduate while 40% are undergraduate. The majority of UKM's international students are fromChina, and then followed byIndonesia andIraq.[5]
UKM is the first university in Malaysia to use theMalay language as its mainmedium of instruction and it has been in use since the university's establishment in 1970.[6] From 1970 until 2022, UKM produced a total of 222,197 alumni.[5]
In 1968, calls for the establishment of a national university emerged from various sectors, including political parties such asUMNO,[7][8]PRM,[9]DAP,[10][11] andPAS.[12] Several state governments, includingPahang,Sabah andMalacca, expressed support by offering land or financial assistance.[13][14][15][16] Non-government organisations,[17] student groups,[18] and teachers unions like Sabah Government's Teachers Union (KGKS) and Angkatan Gaya Baru Sabah also voiced their support for the establishment of UKM.[19]
On 25 August 1968, a Working Committee chaired bySyed Nasir Ismail, a Malay intellectual and director ofDewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, was set up to prepare a report recommended the establishment of UKM.[16][20] Other prominent members of this committee includeTun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who would become Malaysia's fourth prime minister, and Dr. Mohd Rashdan Haji Baba, who later became UKM's first Vice-Chancellor.[21]
On 7 September 1968, the then-Education MinisterMohamed Khir Johari officially announced the government will establish a national university, which would use theMalay language as the mainmedium of instruction, butEnglish andArabic would still be used in certain subjects. The university would also be open to all regardless of race and it was expected to open in 1970.[22][23][24][25]
On 18 May 1970, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia opened its doors to 192 undergraduate students in Jalan Pantai Baru,Kuala Lumpur, a temporary campus housing three main faculties, the Faculties of Science, Arts and Islamic Studies.[6][26][27] On 18 January 1972, the then-prime ministerTun Abdul Razak Hussein, after obtaining agreement from the working committee, decided to build the permanent campus of UKM on a 930 ha (2,300 acres) site in the town ofBangi, nearKajang.[28]
In October 1977, UKM moved to its present premises which form the main campus inBangi. The campus has a size of 1,096 ha (2,710 acres). UKM has two health campuses, theKuala Lumpur campus in Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, and the UKM Medical Centre inCheras. The Kuala Lumpur campus consists of the Faculties of Health Sciences, Pharmacy, Dentistry and the Pre-Clinical Departments of the Medical Faculty. With a size of 20 ha (49 acres), theKuala Lumpur campus was established in 1974.
The campus in Cheras consists of the Medical Faculty, the UKM Teaching Hospital (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM (HCTM)) and theUKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI). The Cheras campus was opened in 1997. Besides these campuses, UKM operates seven research stations (RS): The Tasik Chini RS, The Marine Ecosystem RS, The Langkawi Geopark RS, The Marine RS, The Fraser's Hill RS, The Plant Biotechnology RS and in the main campus itself, the UKM Campus Living Laboratory, which comprises the UKM Permanent Forest Reserve, or its Malay name, Hutan Simpan Kekal UKM as well as the Fernarium and the Herbarium.
In 2006, UKM won the Prime Minister's Quality Award and achieved the status of a Malaysian Research University.
In 2023, UKM established its firstoverseas branch campus inLusail City,Qatar.[29] The branch campus was established with the collaboration of The Regional Group of Qatar, who provided the facilities, infrastructure, equipments and materials for the campus.[30] The agreement to set up the Qatar campus was signed on 19 May 2022[31] and the campus was opened byPrime MinisterAnwar Ibhrahim on 14 May 2024.[32][33][34]
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The current coat of arms of the UKM was first designed by university staffer Mohd Aris Atan and has been in use since 1972. It was modified to its present form by publications officer Zulkifli Ibrahim, which was launched on 29 July 2000 in conjunction with the university's 30th anniversary, with stripes added to the tiger's body.[35][36] The arms is depicted as a quartered shield featuring an atomic symbol, acompass, a gear, aMalayan tiger and the national flower, Bunga Raya, orhibiscus rosa-sinensis, with an open book placed on the top. The atomic symbol represents science, the compasses and gear represent technology, the tiger represents strength and courage and the book represents knowledge.[37] It isblazoned:
The first coat of arms of the university designed by the First Dean of the Faculty of Arts,Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, was different from the present one. It was blazoned as:
Tierced per pall reversed, the dexter Gules on a bend Azure fimbriated Argent a cresent and a fourteen-pointed federal star Or, the sinister Vert a tiger holding in its dexter paw a torch enflamed and in its sinister paw a kris proper and the base Or a Bunga Raya (hibiscus flower) also proper.
The crest featured a scroll inscribed with the words 'Zidni Ilman', which means increase me in knowledge, a reference to Surah 20 Taha, Verse 114 of theQuran.[38]
In 2010, the University's corporate logo was created by its Centre for Corporate Communications, featuring the coat of arms accompanied by the names of the university in Malay and English. The Malay name is presented as UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA, with the letters U, K and M bigger than the rest. Below, the English name (The National University of Malaysia) is smaller and italicised.
The National University of Malaysia is currently one of the three public universities in Malaysia to adopt its coat of arms, the other two are theUniversity of Malaya andUniversiti Sains Malaysia.
The following is a list of vice-chancellors of the National University of Malaysia.
| # | Vice-Chancellor | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohd Rashdan Baba | 1970 | 1971 |
| 2 | Ariffin Ngah Marzuki | 1971 | 1974 |
| 3 | Mohd Ghazali Abdul Rahman | 1974 | 1975 |
| 4 | Anuwar Mahmud | 1975 | 1980 |
| 5 | Awang Had Salleh | 1980 | 1984 |
| 6 | Abdul Hamid Abdul Rahman | 1984 | 1993 |
| 7 | Mohd Sham Mohd Sani | 1993 | 1998 |
| 8 | Anuwar Ali | 1998 | 2003 |
| 9 | Mohd Salleh Mohd Yasin | 2003 | 2006 |
| 10 | Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin | 2006 | 2014 |
| 11 | Noor Azlan Ghazali | 2014 | 2018 |
| 12 | Mohd Hamdi Abdul Shukor | 2019 | 2020 |
| 13 | Mohd Ekhwan Toriman | 2021 | 2025 |
| 14 | Prof. Dr.Sufian Jusoh | 2025 | present |
As of November 2024, there are a total of 12 faculties,[39][40] 2 schools[39][40] and 12 research institutes[41][42] in UKM offering various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Majority of them are located in the main UKM campus inBangi.
 Interactive map of YSD-UKM Cricket Oval | |
| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bangi,Malaysia |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Establishment | 2 |
| Capacity | n/a |
| Owner | Malaysian Cricket Association |
| Operator | n/a |
| Tenants | Malaysia cricket team Malaysia women's national cricket teamArticle Talk |
| International information | |
| First T20I | 2 July 2022: Malaysia v Bhutan |
| Last T20I | 9 September 2024: Hong Kong v Kuwait |
| First WT20I | 12 August 2018: Malaysia v Singapore |
| Last WT20I | 14 February 2024: Kuwait v Nepal |
| As of 9 September 2024 Source:Cricinfo | |
| Year | Rank | Valuer |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 185 | Times Higher Education World University Rankings –QS World University Rankings |
| 2006 | 185 | |
| 2007 | 309 | |
| 2008 | 250 | |
| 2009 | 291 | |
| 2010 | 263 | QS World University Rankings |
| 2011 | 279 | |
| 2012 | 261 | |
| 2012 | N/A (did not submit data)[50] | Times Higher Education World University Rankings |
| 2014 | =269 | QS World University Rankings |
| 2015 | =259 | |
| 2016 | =312[51] | |
| 2017 | =302[52] | |
| 2018 | =230[52] | |
| 2019 | =184[52] | |
| 2020 | =160[52] |
When theTimes Higher Education (THE) Guide University Rankings was published in October 2014, it was reported that UKM, along with Universiti Malaya, opted not to submit data for consideration. The UKM Strategic Centre deputy executive director Associate, Professor Dr. Masturah Markom, responded by saying that the rankings were unfair to the Malaysian educational context. She specifically cited the measurement of "industry income" in the THE methodology of university assessment, stating that Malaysian industry input cannot compete with other countries such as the United States of America. This is despite the fact that only a 2.5% weightage is allocated to "industry income" in the methodology, with more conventional categories such as teaching and research still making up 90%.[53][54]
On 30 October 2022, an infographic poster published by the university and outlining the dress code for the upcoming 2022convocation draws ire and went viral on social media. The poster in question shown examples of what attire is acceptable and unacceptable to be worn during the ceremony for both male and female graduates.[55][56][57]
However,cheongsam andsaree, both being the traditional dresses forChinese andIndian women respectively, were listed as "inappropriate" and prohibited alongside short-sleeved blouse and knee-length skirt.[56][57] This immediately sparked online accusations of racial discrimination or racial bias against the university. The poster hosted on the university's website was then deleted on the same day.[55][58]
A day later on 31 October 2022, UKM uploaded a revised version of its latest dress code guideline for the upcoming convocation. The new guidelines said graduands and guests attending the convocation ceremony will be allowed to wearbaju kebangsaan (national attire), but it did not specify which national attire is allowed, only explicitly stating all items of clothing worn must be dark-coloured, fully sleeved and extend to one’s ankle.[59][60]
On 5 April 2021,Fahmi Reza, who is a political satirical artist and activist, uploaded an artwork resembling the coat of arms of UKM with the accompanying text "Universiti Katak Kebangsaan" (National Frog University), on his social media. The artwork was supposed to symboliseCommunications MinisterSaifuddin Abdullah’s reputation forpolitical party hopping.[61][62] Fahmi later claimed that “It is just a satirical, fictitious logo for a fictitious [frog] university that gave out that fictitious master’s degree” and has "nothing to do with UKM".[63]
Due to the resemblance of the artwork to UKM's coat of arms, Fahmi Reza was hit with aletter of demand by UKM on 7 April 2021, claiming such artwork is an insult against the university and demanded him to delete the artwork from his social media within 7 days, failing which will result in legal action taken against him. However, Fahmi said he refuse to comply with such demand.[61][62] Fahmi was also investigated and has his statement recorded by the Kajang police over the artwork.[64]
In the month preceding the15th General Election held on 19 November 2022,Fahmi Reza went on a tour at numerous universities around the country and held a forum titled "Kelas Demokrasi" (Democracy Class) with the aim to increase political literacy among the universities' youths.[65] However, hisKelas Demokrasi forum held at the UKM Bangi campus on 10 November 2022, with over 200 students attending, was shut down by the university's auxiliary police and security 10 minutes after it was started. UKM's security shut down the sound system and told the crowd to disperse. UKM's management said such event requires permission for it to be held on campus. The forum was later relocated to C&P Coffee Company inBandar Baru Bangi, which is located outside the campus.[66][67]
On 3 February 2025, Mohd Ekhwan Toriman, the Vice-Chancellor of UKM since 2021 announced his resignation, effective 2 February 2025.[68][69] Mohd Ekhwan in his resignation message also said "Thank you for all the slander and accusations that have been thrown in my way, for which police reports and reports to theMalaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) have already been made".[68] The police later confirmed they have received police reports from Mohd Ekhwan[70] and two top management personnel of the university, and is investigating the case as adefamation case.[71][72]
His resignation came amidst allegations that an audit has revealed his involvement in abuse of power, manipulation in the tender process and misappropriation of funds of the university.[71][73][74] A Malay online tabloid alleged thatNegeri Sembilan's ruler and Chancellor of UKM,Tuanku Muhriz, was "angered" by the revelations and did not invite UKM's top management to his birthday and titles awarding ceremony on 14 January of the same year.[74]
On 12 February 2025,Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri SembilanTuanku Muhriz ordered the revocation of Mohd Ekhwan's titleDarjah Setia Bakti Negeri Sembilan (DBNS) with immediate effect. The Negeri Sembilan palace said this was done to "uphold the dignity and honour of the Royal Institution in Negeri Sembilan".[75][76][77]
