Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) was established in 2002 as a not-for-profit private university in Malaysia providing affordable quality education to all. The University is wholly-owned by the UTAR Education Foundation which is managed by a Board of Trustees.
UTAR’s vision is to be a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact. The university is guided by its Six Educational Pillars: Virtue and Morality, Sociality and Humanitarianism, Knowledge and Intellect, Aesthetics and Harmony, Physical and Mental Health, and Creativity and Innovation. These Six Educational Pillars have been incorporated into the university culture since 2008.
In its push for progress, UTAR is now reputed as one of the fastest-growing private higher education institutions in the country. With a first intake of only 411 students in its Petaling Jaya campus in June 2002, the university’s enrolment has now reached 25,000 students with campuses located in Bandar Sungai Long and Kampar.
UTAR has graduated over 61,600 students with high employability rate since its inaugural convocation in 2005. It continues to make impressive strides in establishing a strong reputation as a comprehensive university dedicated to achieve excellence in teaching and research.
The university currently offers more than 110 academic programmes from Foundation Studies to Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in the fields of Accounting, Business and Economics, Actuarial Science, Mathematics and Process Management, Agriculture and Food Science, Arts, Social Science and Education, Chinese Studies, Creative Industries and Design, Engineering and Built Environment, Information and Communication Technology, Life and Physical Sciences, and Medicine and Health Sciences.
To drive holistic education, UTAR has designed quality programmes, employed proficient staff, diversified its partnerships and student body, implemented effective teaching-learning pedagogy, produced research outcomes and publications with industrial collaborations, and expanded its campus facilities. Most importantly, UTAR practised good governance to ensure sustainability. All these have come to fruition when the university was awarded self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) under the Ministry of Education.
This year, UTAR is ranked No. 111 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, 101-200 in the THE University Impact Rankings, and 501-600 in the THE World University Rankings.
UTAR ensures the quality of its accredited programmes through rigorous audits and discussions with local and international industry advisors, external examiners, industry leaders, and stringent certification and accreditation processes by more than 20 international and local professional bodies.