In World’s First, Private University Ranking Shines Spotlight on ASEAN

SINGAPORE, Wednesday 23 February 2022 – AppliedHE, South East Asia’s leading higher education ranking and rating agency, today released the results of its new AppliedHE Private University Ranking: ASEAN.

The ranking is unique in its scope and ranking criteria. The ranking only includes private universities located in Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries that award locally accredited degrees. Private universities have played a key role in increasing access to higher education in the region, bringing innovative approaches to learning, and delivering a strong track record of graduate employability.

The ranking criteria focus mainly on the quality of teaching and learning (40%), employability (15%), and research (15%). Internationalization, community engagement, and institutional reputation, or brand value, are also included.

Among the 10 most highly ranked private universities, five are from Indonesia, with Universitas Bina Nusantara (BINUS) ranking first in ASEAN. A close second place is held by Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Malaysia), followed by Universitas Islam Indonesia, and the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines). Thailand’s Kirk University ranked 7th and Vietnam’s Duy Tan University 8th.

With regards to the need for a private university ranking, the AppliedHE Ranking Advisory Board Chairperson and City University of Hong Kong Secretary to Council and Court Dr Kevin Downing observed that: “Private universities are different from public universities, and the strengths of private universities are not adequately highlighted by existing university rankings. The AppliedHE Private University Ranking is therefore a welcome addition to the Asian and global rankings landscape.”

Participation in the rankings is on a voluntary basis. Participating universities are required to submit data, which is audited by AppliedHE, and distribute the AppliedHE Ranking Student Survey to their students. External data from Google Scholar and Google News are also used, alongside a system of peer nominations, whereby universities can nominate other institutions which they hold in high regard.

Commenting on the rankings, AppliedHE Founder CEO Ms. Mandy Mok noted that: “These rankings are a game-changer because they measure what is most important to students and their parents – the quality of education, and employability. Especially for private universities, that is what they do best.”

Further endorsing the work of AppliedHE, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) CEO Prof Dato’ Dr Mohammad Shatar bin Sabran said: “AppliedHE fills an important need in the global higher education evaluation landscape with a focus on quality of teaching and learning, and especially employment and future careers. This makes AppliedHE especially relevant to Malaysian students and parents when making a decision on where to study.”

Ranking Launch

The public, including members of the media, are warmly invited to attend the official online rankings launch, which will take place on Wednesday, 23 February 2022 at 17:00 Singapore/Manila/Hong Kong time (GMT+8).

For details about the launch webinar, please see:
https://appliedhe.com/appliedhe-private-university-ranking-asean-23-february-2022/

Ranking Results Tables

For more information, please visit https://AppliedHE.com/private-ranking-asean (to go live on Wednesday, 23 February 2022)