UM Quality Day 2026 & Malaysia Book of Records Recognition

UM Recognised as First University to Implement a Comprehensive Higher Education Quality Excellence Index

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 April 2026 – Universiti Malaya (UM) has been recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) as the first higher education institution in Malaysia to implement a comprehensive index-based quality and excellence assessment, through the Universiti Malaya Quality Excellence Index (UMQEI). The recognition was presented in conjunction with Hari Kualiti UM 2026, held at Dewan Tunku Canselor.

The recognition marks the latest milestone in UM’s quality journey — from becoming the first university to attain ISO 9001 certification for its entire university-wide processes, to being the first university awarded Self-Accreditation status, and the first in Malaysia to receive the AUN-QA Institutional Assessment recognition. With UMQEI, UM now pioneers index-based quality management assessment using a framework developed in-house, shaped by the institution’s own context and needs.

Hari Kualiti UM 2026 also served as the platform for launching UM’s new quality management system, and celebrated a second MBOR recognition received by Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) for its Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) accreditation achievement — together reflecting UM’s integrated quality ecosystem spanning higher education and healthcare.

Developed from December 2022, piloted from January to July 2024 and officially implemented on 15 August 2024, UMQEI is a data- and index-based model that uniquely links enablers — systems and processes — with institutional results, enabling evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement across the University. Its digital platform was developed by UM’s own final-year students. An enhanced version, UMQEI 2.0, is being developed for implementation in 2027.

The Universiti Malaya community, together with the university's leadership, at the UM Quality Day 2026 event in Dewan Tunku Canselor on 23 April 2026. Sijil The Malaysia Book of Records Cetificate: First Higher Education Institution — Index-Based Quality and Excellence Assessment, 23 April 2026.