The year 2024 was an excellent year for Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in terms of international rankings. These achievements showed that UMT’s commitment to strengthening its academic reputation, research excellence, and social impact have now borne fruit. UMT’s global visibility was clearly demonstrated when it surged to the 801–850 band in the QS World University Rankings announced in 2025.

At the Asian level, UMT was ranked 195th, placing it among the top 20% of universities in Asia. In the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Rankings, UMT maintained its position in the 301–350 bracket, and continued its excellent record in THE Young University Rankings by securing a spot within the 251–300 range. This upward trajectory reflects UMT’s consistent efforts to enhance its international visibility.

It is widely known that UMT’s niche area is Marine Science and Aquatic Resources. The strength of this niche is evident in its ranking within the 301–350 band in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. UMT’s excellence in this field was further confirmed by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranked UMT as the No. 1 university in Malaysia, No. 19 in Asia, and No. 96 in the world for this subject area.

In addition, several other disciplines at UMT also received international recognition. These include Physical Sciences and Engineering (ranked 601–800), Business and Economics (ranked 501–600), and Social Sciences, which remained within the 801–1000 band in the World University Ranking by Subject. The field of Economics and Econometrics was also acknowledged for the first time in the QS by Subject Rankings 2025, when it was listed in the 551–700 band, indicating the diversity of UMT’s academic strengths.

UMT is also focused and committed to the sustainability agenda in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. This is evident in its performance in the QS Sustainability Rankings, where UMT was ranked among the top 33% globally (554 out of 1,751). UMT also showed improvement in the THE Impact Rankings 2025, rising to the 401–600 band compared to 601–800 the previous year. This reflects a significant increase in the university’s contribution to community well-being and sustainable development. This excellence was further proven through the 2024 UI GreenMetric ranking, in which UMT was placed 160th out of 1,477 universities worldwide.

UMT’s improved standing in the Webometrics Ranking 2024, rising from 1,642 to 1,489 globally and from 16th to 8th in Malaysia (January–July ranking), demonstrates the university’s increasing visibility both globally and nationally. This success is attributed to the quality of its online content, which continues to attract external attention, proving that more of UMT’s content is being accessed, shared, and cited by the global community.

While UMT remains committed to enhancing its international visibility, national-level performance is also taken seriously. This is evident in its continued excellence in the Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA), consistently achieving scores above 100 or 6-star ratings since MyRA 2020.

Overall, UMT’s achievements for the period of 1 August 2024 – 31 July 2025 are truly commendable. They demonstrate progress across multiple dimensions, including academics, research, sustainability, and the university’s niche area. These successes are a testament to the dedication of the UMT community in realising its vision to become a globally respected university, further strengthening UMT’s role as a leader in marine and aquatic sciences through strategic industry partnerships and wider dissemination of knowledge to the community.