37 Best universities for Development Studies in Malaysia

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Malaysia ranked based on their research performance in Development Studies. A graph of 659K citations received by 50.6K academic papers made by 37 universities in Malaysia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Malaya

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#19 in Asia

#240 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1905

2. National University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Bangi

For Development Studies

#27 in Asia

#285 in the World

Enrollment: 28,776
Founded: 1970

3. University of Science, Malaysia

Malaysia | George Town

For Development Studies

#31 in Asia

#303 in the World

Founded: 1969

4. Putra Malaysia University

Malaysia | Serdang

For Development Studies

#39 in Asia

#333 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Founded: 1973

5. University of Technology Malaysia

Malaysia | Johor Bahru

For Development Studies

#40 in Asia

#337 in the World

Founded: 1904

6. MARA University of Technology

Malaysia | Shah Alam

For Development Studies

#44 in Asia

#353 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Founded: 1956

7. Northern University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Sintok

For Development Studies

#88 in Asia

#550 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Founded: 1984

8. International Islamic University Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#112 in Asia

#625 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 21,607
Founded: 1983

9. Multimedia University

Malaysia | Cyberjaya

For Development Studies

#167 in Asia

#794 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1996

10. Sultan Idris University of Education

Malaysia | Tanjong Malim

For Development Studies

#206 in Asia

#945 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1922

11. Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Batu Pahat

For Development Studies

#226 in Asia

#1006 in the World

Founded: 2000

12. University of Malaysia, Sarawak

Malaysia | Kota Samarahan

For Development Studies

#288 in Asia

#1168 in the World

Founded: 1992

13. University of Malaysia Sabah

Malaysia | Kota Kinabalu

For Development Studies

#320 in Asia

#1241 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1994

14. Tunku Abdul Rahman University

Malaysia | Kajang

For Development Studies

#388 in Asia

#1436 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 2002

15. Tenaga National University

Malaysia | Kajang

For Development Studies

#404 in Asia

#1476 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1997

16. Darul Iman University, Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Terengganu

For Development Studies

#415 in Asia

#1496 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 2005

17. University of Malaysia, Pahang

Malaysia | Kuantan

For Development Studies

#427 in Asia

#1525 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 2002

18. Petronas Technology University

Malaysia | Tronoh

For Development Studies

#434 in Asia

#1549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Founded: 1997

19. University of Malaysia, Terengganu

Malaysia | Kuala Terengganu

For Development Studies

#488 in Asia

#1688 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1979

20. Technical University of Malaysia, Melaka

Malaysia | Ayer Keroh

For Development Studies

#514 in Asia

#1745 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 12,077
Founded: 2000

21. Islamic Science University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Nilai

For Development Studies

#553 in Asia

#1828 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1998

22. Sunway University

Malaysia | Petaling Jaya

For Development Studies

#580 in Asia

#1885 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1987

23. Taylor's University

Malaysia | Subang Jaya

For Development Studies

#604 in Asia

#1947 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1969

24. International Medical University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#617 in Asia

#1975 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Founded: 1992

25. University of Malaysia, Kelantan

Malaysia | Pengkalan Chepa

For Development Studies

#666 in Asia

#2079 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 2006

26. University of Malaysia Perlis

Malaysia | Arau

For Development Studies

#736 in Asia

#2238 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Enrollment: 11,216
Male:Female: 56:44
Founded: 2001

27. UCSI University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#738 in Asia

#2242 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1986

28. University of Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#751 in Asia

#2274 in the World

Founded: 2002

29. National Defence University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#866 in Asia

#2510 in the World

Founded: 1995

30. Management and Science University

Malaysia | Shah Alam

For Development Studies

#954 in Asia

#2729 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Founded: 2001

31. HELP University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#1352 in Asia

#3513 in the World

Founded: 1986

32. INTI International University

Malaysia | Nilai

For Development Studies

#1369 in Asia

#3551 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Enrollment: 4,202
Founded: 2010

33. University of Selangor

Malaysia | Bestari Jaya

For Development Studies

#1412 in Asia

#3652 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Enrollment: 5,312
Founded: 1999

34. Tun Abdul Razak University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#1482 in Asia

#3790 in the World

Founded: 1997

35. Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

Malaysia | Cyberjaya

For Development Studies

#1622 in Asia

#4123 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Enrollment: 30,000
Founded: 1991

36. AIMST University

Malaysia | Bedong

For Development Studies

#1847 in Asia

#4614 in the World

Enrollment: 2,436
Founded: 2001

37. Asia e University

Malaysia | Subang Jaya

For Development Studies

#2140 in Asia

#5274 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Founded: 2006

The best cities to study Development Studies in Malaysia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Kuala Lumpur, Bangi, George Town, and Serdang.

Economics subfields in Malaysia

Actuarial Science13

Agricultural Economics11

Econometrics and Mathematical Economics29

Environmental Economics25

Finance36

International Economics15

International Relations and Diplomacy11

International Trade16

Investment Banking and Stock trading28

Political Economy7