Curtin University’s rise in global rankings key to attracting international and domestic students

Miri – 12 July 2017 – Many consider a university’s continual strong showing in global academic rankings a reliable indicator of the quality and status of the institution, including its industry connections, research, courses and employability of its graduates.

Curtin University is a case in point, with a strong global reputation that has seen it rise up the international university rankings in recent years. It rose significantly to 262nd position in the world in the recent QS World University Ranking (QSWUR) 2017-18, up from 306th in 2016-17, and was placed 15th nationally. It is also ranked in the top two per cent of universities worldwide and 10th in Australia in the highly regarded Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2016.

Pro Vice-Chancellor, President and Chief Executive of Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia), Curtin University’s largest international campus and Asian hub here in Malaysia, said Curtin University’s outstanding global rankings, coupled with the professional accreditation of its courses, have contributed greatly to the reputation and strength of the Curtin programmes Curtin Malaysia offers at degree and postgraduate levels.

Students at Curtin Malaysia study courses identical to those at the other Curtin campuses and the degrees they earn are conferred directly by Curtin University. In addition, they enjoy a similar learning experience and support mechanisms and are offered flexibility in completing their degrees at one of the other campuses.

“As Curtin has continued to rise up the ranks, we have seen a proportionate increase in enrolments of both domestic and international students in recent years, such that we have now close to 5,000 students from some 50 countries,” said Professor Mienczakowski.

He commented that in recent years, with the increased competition between higher education providers in the country, Curtin’s global rankings and course accreditation by relevant professional bodies in the fields of engineering, business and humanities have become crucial deciding factors for students and their parents when choosing Curtin Malaysia.

“At the end of the day, they want to know that they’ll be getting a quality education and will graduate with a qualification that will enable them to get jobs easily,” he said.

Professor Mienczakowski added that students and parents nowadays require more detailed relevant advisory information to make informed decisions, and the collection of independent and objective data on the performance of universities across a range of measures in the rankings can be of great help to them.

In addition to global rankings for institutional performance, rankings by academic subjects are equally important. Curtin ranked in 21 subjects in the latest ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects released this month for 2017 and is placed in the top 100 in the world in five subjects, including 19th in the world for Mining and Mineral Engineering and 45th for Chemical Engineering. The ranking is published by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, the same group that publishes the ARWU.

In the 2017 QS World University Rankings by Subject, Curtin has 16 subjects ranked in the top 200 worldwide, including second in the world for Mineral and Mining Engineering, up 17 places from last year. Overall, it achieved ranking in 25 subjects, seven more than last year, and ranked as a top 100 university in seven subjects.

Meanwhile, in the 2016 ARWU Field ranking, Curtin featured in the world’s top 150 for Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences and top 200 for Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Learning and Teaching Professor Beena Giridharan said Curtin’s outstanding rankings can also be attributed to the university’s enhanced research performance, growing level of international collaboration with key partners, and improved international reputation, including at its international campuses.

“We are pleased that Curtin University continues to receive global recognition in the QSWUR, ARWU and other rankings, ensuring our students, staff and alumni can be proud to be part of one of the leading universities in the world,” said Professor Giridharan.

She said Curtin views its campuses in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore as equally important and connections and collaborations across locations – including collaborative research, development and internationalisation of courses, and bi-directional delivery of course material between campuses – are becoming more embedded in their daily practices. This, too, has contributed to the quality of education that the university provides. A third overseas campus in Dubai will commence degree programmes early next year.

Other global rankings in which Curtin has excelled include the University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), in which it climbed 33 places in 2016-17 to rank 302nd in the world. It is also positioned at 355th in the world in the 2017 CWTS Leiden Ranking.

In global reviews of young institutions under 50 years, Curtin was placed 27th globally in the QSWUR: Top 50 under 50 and is in the top 100 universities under 50 in the THEWUR: Best Young Universities in the World 2017.

Curtin was also awarded 5 Stars overall in the 2017 QS Stars University Ratings and 5 Stars in each of the categories of Teaching, Employability, Internationalisation, Facilities, Innovation and Inclusiveness, and 5 Stars for Engineering – Mineral & Mining.

In Malaysia, Curtin Malaysia is one of only 17 self-accrediting tertiary institutions and is rated in Tier 5 (Excellent) in both the SETARA Rating System for Higher Education Institutions and the discipline-based D-SETARA Rating System (for engineering) by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Curtin Malaysia’s second semester intake for undergraduate and foundation programmes is underway and students keen to enrol can enquire at http://www1.curtin.edu.my/future/enquiry.htm. Classes for undergraduate programmes will commence on 31 July and foundation programmes on 14 August.

Curtin Malaysia, largest international campus and Asian hub of Curtin University – a global, world-ranked university.

Professor Jim Mienczakowski.

Professor Beena Giridharan.