UMS Listed Among Asia’s Best Universities in THE Asia Rankings 2025

Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) has earned international recognition as one of the top universities in Asia, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Rankings 2025.

THE Asia Rankings is a prestigious ranking of leading universities across Asia, published by the global ranking body Times Higher Education. The assessment is based on five key indicators: Research Quality, Industry, International Outlook, Research Environment, and Teaching.

According to the official THE website on Friday (25/4/2025), UMS made its debut in the 601+ in Asia, achieving an overall scoreof 13.6-2 8.2.

Head of UMS Office of Public Relation and Rankings, Gunawan Ariyanto, S.T., M.Comp.Sc., Ph.D., stated that UMS stood out particularly in two categories: Research Quality and International Outlook.

“Alhamdulillah, this is our first time participating and we've already made it into the rankings. We should be grateful, as the THE ranking is highly selective,” said Gunawan on Friday (25/4/2025).

The Research Quality category assesses the quality of research, based on citation volume, research strength, research influence, and top-tier publications. Gunawan explained that the number of citations from UMS lecturer publications significantly boosted UMS performance in this category.

Meanwhile, the International Outlook category evaluates the number of international students and staff, as well as collaborative research with global partners. Collaborative efforts between UMS researchers and scholars from universities around the world played a key role in UMS strength in this area.

“Collaborations with international researchers have helped improve UMS’ International Outlook score,” he added.

However, Gunawan emphasized the need for improvement in the proportion of international students and staff at UMS. “This is an area where we still have much room to grow,” he noted.

The remarkable achievement in the THE Asia Rankings 2025 further strengthens UMS global recognition. At the national level, based on the same rankings release, UMS is ranked as the fifth-best university in Indonesia, the top private university in Central Java, third-best nationally in Research Quality, and the leading Muhammadiyah-Aisyiyah Higher Education Institution (PTMA) in Research Quality.

Previously, UMS had also been recognized in THE World University Rankings 2025 and THE Impact Rankings 2024.

Read also: UMS Tops the 2025 List of Best Private Universities in Indonesia

Gunawan expressed hope that UMS would continue to rise in global rankings. He emphasized the importance of synergy between offices and institutions in UMS to achieve this goal.

“We aim to maintain our position in THE, as it is highly prestigious and research-focused,” he concluded.

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva