UMPSA ranked 53rd in the world for sustainability

PEKAN, 25 September 2026 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) continues to excel as Malaysia’s leading technological university in sustainability, ranking 53rd in the world in the UI GreenMetric Sustainable University Rankings 2026, as recently announced by UI GreenMetric.

This achievement places UMPSA first in the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) and third among higher education institutions in Malaysia.

According to UMPSA Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ts. Dr. Yatimah Alias, the university has made encouraging progress in strengthening sustainable practices through its various university programmes.

“This achievement demonstrates UMPSA’s commitment to developing a green and sustainable campus,” she said.

UMPSA has also been recognised as the first higher education institution in ASEAN to receive the international EcoCampus Green Flag recognition from the Green Growth Asia Foundation (GGAF).

This recognition places UMPSA at the forefront of globally recognised technical universities focused on green technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and sustainable innovation.

Carbon emission reduction is also a key priority for the university as it works towards its target of carbon neutrality by 2050.

The university has set carbon emission reduction targets of 20 per cent in 2026 and 45 per cent by 2030.

UMPSA’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions are also supported by its transition to renewable energy through the installation of a 3.58 MWp solar power system, which has successfully reduced carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by up to 40 per cent.

The system can also save the university approximately 20 per cent on its electricity bills each year.

UMPSA uses solar energy as an alternative energy source, and its efforts to improve energy efficiency began in 2012.

These efforts include the use of LED lighting throughout the campus, smart and scheduled control systems, and improvements to cooling systems.

Other initiatives include the Time of Use (ToU) programme, which helps the university save on electricity costs based on when energy is used. 

The university is also strengthening governance and encouraging a culture of energy saving to keep these conservation efforts going.

Meanwhile, to meet the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the university is also embracing digital transformation to become a smart campus that responds to current needs and stakeholder expectations.

These efforts are in line with the university’s aspiration to become a Smart Campus, while the implementation of this initiative also supports the government’s call to strengthen the country’s digital government agenda.

The UI GreenMetric Sustainable University Rankings, which measure green initiatives and environmental sustainability, were established by Universitas Indonesia (UI) in 2010.

The assessment is based on seven main criteria: Setting and Infrastructure (SI), Energy and Climate Change (EC), Waste (WS), Water (WR), Transportation (TR), Education (ED), and Governance and Digitalization (GD).

By: Naqiah Puaad, Centre For Corporate Communication

Translation by: Aminatul Nor Mohamed Said, UMPSA Career Centre (UMPSACC)