37 Best universities for Development Studies in Malaysia

Updated: March 15, 2026

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 713K citations received by 52K 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

#235 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 34%
Founded: 1905

2. National University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Bangi

For Development Studies

#25 in Asia

#278 in the World

Enrollment: 28,776
Founded: 1970

3. University of Science, Malaysia

Malaysia | George Town

For Development Studies

#29 in Asia

#291 in the World

Founded: 1969

4. Putra Malaysia University

Malaysia | Serdang

For Development Studies

#39 in Asia

#324 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 26,000
Founded: 1973

5. University of Technology Malaysia

Malaysia | Johor Bahru

For Development Studies

#41 in Asia

#335 in the World

Founded: 1904

6. MARA University of Technology

Malaysia | Shah Alam

For Development Studies

#44 in Asia

#345 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Founded: 1956

7. Northern University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Sintok

For Development Studies

#89 in Asia

#547 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Founded: 1984

8. International Islamic University Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#115 in Asia

#628 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 3,773
Founded: 1983

9. Multimedia University

Malaysia | Cyberjaya

For Development Studies

#171 in Asia

#796 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1996

10. Sultan Idris University of Education

Malaysia | Tanjong Malim

For Development Studies

#207 in Asia

#934 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Founded: 1922

11. Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Batu Pahat

For Development Studies

#229 in Asia

#1007 in the World

Founded: 2000

12. University of Malaysia, Sarawak

Malaysia | Kota Samarahan

For Development Studies

#298 in Asia

#1174 in the World

Founded: 1992

13. University of Malaysia Sabah

Malaysia | Kota Kinabalu

For Development Studies

#314 in Asia

#1213 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1994

14. Tunku Abdul Rahman University

Malaysia | Kajang

For Development Studies

#399 in Asia

#1444 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 2002

15. Darul Iman University, Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Terengganu

For Development Studies

#414 in Asia

#1476 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 2005

16. Tenaga National University

Malaysia | Kajang

For Development Studies

#419 in Asia

#1486 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1997

17. University of Malaysia, Pahang

Malaysia | Kuantan

For Development Studies

#421 in Asia

#1492 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 2002

18. Petronas Technology University

Malaysia | Tronoh

For Development Studies

#437 in Asia

#1527 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Founded: 1997

19. University of Malaysia, Terengganu

Malaysia | Kuala Terengganu

For Development Studies

#493 in Asia

#1680 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1979

20. Technical University of Malaysia, Melaka

Malaysia | Ayer Keroh

For Development Studies

#537 in Asia

#1772 in the World

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

21. Sunway University

Malaysia | Petaling Jaya

For Development Studies

#551 in Asia

#1817 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1987

22. Islamic Science University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Nilai

For Development Studies

#559 in Asia

#1830 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1998

23. International Medical University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#617 in Asia

#1951 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 66%
Founded: 1992

24. Taylor's University

Malaysia | Subang Jaya

For Development Studies

#652 in Asia

#2031 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1969

25. University of Malaysia, Kelantan

Malaysia | Pengkalan Chepa

For Development Studies

#666 in Asia

#2059 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 2006

26. UCSI University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#728 in Asia

#2208 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1986

27. University of Malaysia Perlis

Malaysia | Arau

For Development Studies

#736 in Asia

#2220 in the World

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

28. University of Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#754 in Asia

#2258 in the World

Founded: 2002

29. National Defence University of Malaysia

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#850 in Asia

#2453 in the World

Founded: 1995

30. Management and Science University

Malaysia | Shah Alam

For Development Studies

#934 in Asia

#2647 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 87%
Founded: 2001

31. INTI International University

Malaysia | Nilai

For Development Studies

#1248 in Asia

#3298 in the World

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

32. HELP University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#1396 in Asia

#3588 in the World

Founded: 1986

33. University of Selangor

Malaysia | Bestari Jaya

For Development Studies

#1438 in Asia

#3665 in the World

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

34. Tun Abdul Razak University

Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur

For Development Studies

#1507 in Asia

#3828 in the World

Founded: 1997

35. Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

Malaysia | Cyberjaya

For Development Studies

#1602 in Asia

#4060 in the World

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

36. AIMST University

Malaysia | Bedong

For Development Studies

#1835 in Asia

#4569 in the World

Enrollment: 2,436
Founded: 2001

37. Asia e University

Malaysia | Subang Jaya

For Development Studies

#2141 in Asia

#5272 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 Economics12

Econometrics and Mathematical Economics29

Environmental Economics25

Finance36

International Economics15

International Relations and Diplomacy11

International Trade17

Investment Banking and Stock trading28

Political Economy7