Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (abbreviated UTAR) is a non-profit private university in Malaysia. It is ranked top 100 in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2018 and top 600 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, placing it 2nd in Malaysia only after University of Malaya.
UTAR is one of the Premier Digital Tech Universities that are recognized by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), focus on providing students with first-class theoretical and practical training to meet the nation’s digital economy demands, and first Malaysian institution become part of Alibaba Cloud Academic Alliances. UTAR also awarded MBOT Supportive University/College Award by Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), for giving support to MBOT through membership application drive for staff and programme accreditation by MBOT. UTAR also won the Most Attractive Graduate Employers To Work For in 2021 by Graduates' Choice Award (GCA), Third (Education Category) at Malaysia’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers Awards 2020 and CIMA Prize-Winner Excellence Award 2020 Regional Bronze (Asia Pacific) by Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
UTAR was established in June 2002 through the UTAR Education Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation, and a total of 411 students is enrolled in June 2002 for its first intake. As of 2016, the university has grown to an enrolment of 20,490 students. At the start, the university offered only eight honours degree programmes but now offers more than 110 programmes, including foundation, undergraduate as well as postgraduate degree programmes.
As of today, UTAR have 9 faculties, 3 academic institutes, 3 academic centres, 32 research centres, 242 university partners and 162 industry partners.
The university has two campuses, the award-winning Kampar campus in the state of Perak and one in Sungai Long located within the Klang Valley in the state of Selangor. The university once maintained campuses in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur, but in June 2015 these were consolidated with the Sungai Long campus.
The university also has had extensive academic partnerships with international universities in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Poland, etc.
History.
In July 2001, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a prominent organization in the Malaysian Chinese community, received an invitation from the Malaysian Ministry of Education to establish a university. Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, the President of the MCA, chaired a committee that drew up a framework for the establishment of the university. Another committee was formed to compile the necessary documents to receive approval from the local authorities. The second committee was led by Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ng Lay Swee, the Principal of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, a tertiary education institution also established by the MCA, and it included Dr. Lai Fatt Sian, the Head of the School of Business Studies of the University College, who became the founding Dean of the UTAR Faculty of Accountancy and Management. The university also established the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, led by Dr. Yeoh Suan Pow, and the Faculty of Information Communication and Technology, led by Dr. Tan Chik Heok. Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik was appointed Council Chairman of UTAR and Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ng Lay Swee became the first President and CEO.
In June 2002, UTAR opened its doors to the pioneer batch students on its first campus located in Section 13 of Petaling Jaya, on a premises previously owned by the publisher of a local daily called the Star.
Through the three newly established faculties, the university offered its first eight honours degree programmes At that time, the Faculty of Accountancy and Management, under founding Dean Dr. Lai Fatt Sian, hosted more than 6,000 students and was described as the largest business faculty in a Malaysian private university. However, due to space constraints and the popularity of the courses, the intake was required to cut-off at a remarkably high intake requirements and many were disappointed having their application rejected. This ultimately resulted in market-driven high calibre graduates strongly demanded by the industry.
An official ceremony was held to launch UTAR on 13 August 2002 at the main hall of the Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, another tertiary education institution founded by the Malaysian Chinese Association. Attending the ceremony was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. The prime minister also officiated the university groundbreaking event at its new campus at Kampar, in the state of Perak.
Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ng Lay Swee retired as the President on 31 March 2009. She was succeeded by Datuk Dr. Chuah Hean Teik. Following her retirement, many pioneering staff members who worked with her from the inception of the university left the establishment as well.
Datuk Dr. Chuah Hean Teik retired as the President on 31 August 2019. He was succeeded by Dr. Ewe Hong Tat effective from 1 September 2019.
Campuses.
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Most of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman is on an 1,300-acre (2.03 sq mi; 5.26 km2) campus, one of the largest private universities in Malaysia.
Kampar Main Campus.
UTAR Kampar main campus is located at Kampar, Perak.
UTAR faculties located in Kampar campus are:
Sungai Long Campus.
UTAR Sungai Long campus is located at Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang, Selangor.
UTAR faculties located in Sungai Long campus are:
Academic profile.
Admission.
There are three intakes every year on January, May and October for foundation, bachelor honours degree and postgraduate programmes.
For the entry requirements, students with only Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) / Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Vokasional (SPMV) can apply for the one-year UTAR Foundation programmes such as Foundation in Science and Foundation in Arts. Those have completed the Foundation programmes will then be eligible to continue their Year 1 of the UTAR Honours Degree programmes. Other than the UTAR Foundation programmes certificate, students with other qualifications such as Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), A-Levels, South Australian Matriculation (SAM) and Canadian Pre-University (CPU) can also apply for the Bachelor's Honours Degree programmes. Besides, students with a diploma from a college / institution / polytechnic may also apply for admission to UTAR programmes with chances of getting successful entry with credit transfer.
Nonetheless, all the local and foreign students applying for the entry of UTAR programmes are required to be proficient in the English language as almost all the courses are taught in English language (except some Degree programmes regarding Chinese Studies). Students are usually needed to have a credit / relevant score in either SPM English Language, O-level English Language, UEC English Language, MUET, TOEFL, IELTS, CPE, CAE, SAT or ACT.
Students who wish to apply for admissions can do it online by filling in the forms available on the official website of UTAR They can also visit the UTAR Division of Programme Promotion or Division of Admissions and Credit Evaluation, available at both the Sungai Long Campus and Kampar Campus, for more information of the programmes and requirements for admissions.
Teaching and degrees.
The structure of UTAR Foundation and full-time degree programmes consists of three semesters per year. The first two semesters for the full-time degree programmes, which start in January and May, are considered as long semesters, which are around 19 to 20 weeks (usually summed up by 14 weeks of teaching, 3 weeks of exam, 2 to 3 weeks of semester break), the short semester for the full-time degree programmes that starts in October is only around 13 weeks (7 weeks of teaching, 3 weeks of exam, 3 weeks of semester break). For Foundation studies, The first two semesters which is also start in January and May, are considered as long semesters, which are around 17 or 19 weeks (usually summed up by 14 weeks of teaching, 1 week of exam, 2 or 4 weeks of semester break), the short semester that starts in October is around 16 weeks (12 weeks of teaching, 1 week of exam, 3 weeks of semester break).
The teaching in UTAR is usually carried out through lecture, tutorial and practical classes. Lecture in UTAR is conducted in a large class by qualified lecturer (at least Master degree qualification for bachelor degree programmes). A typical lecture class in UTAR can accommodate up to 200 or 300 students. Tutorials are the smaller classes (usually consists of ≤30 students) where you can ask questions and have discussion with the tutor or other students. Practical classes are commonly arranged for science, engineering, information technology programmes that require hands on learning through practical or laboratory work.
Scholarships and financial support.
UTAR offers scholarships and loans based on the following criteria:
List of UTAR Scholarships available:
UTAR also provides interest free student loans to those financially needy students who are pursuing foundation or undergraduate degree programmes.
Accreditation and memberships.
All UTAR academic programmes are approved by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and Public Service Department (JPA).
UTAR has been awarded the self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency of the Ministry of Higher Education, which authorises UTAR to conduct self-assessments to accredit its programmes in accordance with the criteria set by the MQA, although this status excludes certain programmes that require a professional body’s recognition. UTAR was awarded Premier Digital Tech University status by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
UTAR is a member of the EMC Academic Alliance created by American multinational corporation Dell EMC. The university is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and a university member of The Alliance on Business Education and Scholarship for Tomorrow (ABEST21).
Various departments and programs at UTAR are also recognised by professional associations and institutes across Malaysia, other Southeast Asian countries, Australia, the Commonwealth, and the United States. The UTAR engineering degree programmes are recognised by the Board of Engineers Malaysia. This recognition allows UTAR engineering graduates to practice in 19 countries including the United States, China, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and South Africa under the Washington Accord.
List of Programmes Recognized By Professional Body Besides MQA Accreditation
University rankings.
UTAR has been mainly ranked by two international ranking systems, the QS University Rankings, and the Times Higher Education University Rankings. UTAR is ranked the third among the most productive institutions in the research discipline of mobile commerce and its application.
UI GreenMetric.
The international UI GreenMetric annually ranks universities on their sustainability performance in infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation, and education. The ranking is organised by the Universitas Indonesia.
Student life.
UTAR Student Representative Council.
The UTAR Student Representative Council (SRC) represents all students within the University. It was founded in July 2012. In addition to the university-level SRC, each campus has a campus-level Council: SRC UTAR Kampar Campus and SRC UTAR Sungai Long Campus.
The Council membership is as follows:
University SRC
Campus SRC
Representative from each faculties
Student-run societies.
Both campuses are home to student-run societies organized around shared interests, hobbies, and professional aspirations. As of March 2017, there were 56 registered societies.
Student accommodation.
As of 2017, neither the Kampar Campus nor Sungai Long Campus have their own hostels for students. However, students have access to private accommodation facilities.
Students studying at the UTAR Kampar Campus usually stay in these locations:
Students studying at the Sungai Long Campus usually stay in these locations:
Partner institutions.
As of 22 November 2020, UTAR have 261 university partners and 171 industry partners.
Below are the partial list of UTAR's university partners: