Chulalongkorn Eyes Malaysia to Boost Global Ranking

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand’s oldest and highest-ranked university, is seeking to climb even higher on the global stage by learning from its rapidly ascending Malaysian counterparts.

Led by Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Dr Parichart Sthapitanonda, a delegation from CU recently undertook a study tour of three leading Malaysian institutions, including the University of Malaya (UM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), in a strategic move to strengthen international ties and identify key factors driving academic success.

Chula vs Malaysia: Learning from Rapid Climbers

Despite topping Thai universities in the QS World University Rankings, currently standing at 229th globally, Chulalongkorn University remains well behind Malaysia’s top-tier institutions. The University of Malaya surged from 156th in 2012 to 60th in 2025, while UPM rose from 360th to 148th over the same period.

These improvements are largely credited to strategic internationalisation, enhanced research output and effective use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). At UM, around 20–25% of its 44,000 students are international, compared to 8.5% at CU. UM’s success also stems from generous government funding (70% of income), strong employer reputation and systematic peer review processes.

UM’s Associate Vice-Chancellor for Corporate Strategy, Dr Yahaya Ahmad, emphasised the importance of foreign student diversity and media visibility for global rankings. In contrast, CU faces limitations due to Thai-language-based programmes and a lower proportion of international students.

The KPI Debate

Chula’s team was intrigued by UM’s KPI-based academic evaluation, which mandates two published academic papers annually. CU currently requires three papers over five years. Professor Parichart expressed concerns over excessive KPI pressure, citing faculty burnout at UM. She argued for a more balanced approach, favouring annual rather than biannual reviews to preserve academic well-being.

Branding and Reputation

CU’s branding strategy is led by Associate Professor Ake Pattaratankun, who highlighted that 60% of a university’s QS score comes from academic reputation. CU has succeeded in attracting global media attention, for instance, training dogs to detect COVID-19 during the pandemic gained international headlines. The university has also hosted foreign journalists under a media fellowship scheme, a model UM now hopes to emulate.

Expanding Agricultural Ties with UPM

In Putrajaya, the CU delegation visited UPM, Malaysia’s top agricultural university and a consistent winner of the Green Campus Award. UPM hosts 7,000 foreign students from 80 countries and partners with institutions such as Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

Ake acknowledged CU’s limited experience in agriculture, its School of Agricultural Innovation is only a decade old, but welcomed collaboration. Lecturer exchanges, joint research and student mobility between CU and UPM were discussed, with both sides eager to enhance academic cooperation.

Challenges and Opportunities

Assistant Professor Sornate Areesophonpichet from CU’s Faculty of Education noted that Thailand’s strengths in food, agriculture, tourism and healthcare should be better leveraged. She also highlighted the forthcoming Thai government Higher Education Fund, expected by 2026 or 2027, which could further empower CU.

Another obstacle for CU is that it does not operate its own teaching hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital is managed by the Thai Red Cross Society, which can affect its international standing in health-related fields.

Pokai Sriratanobhas, Assistant to CU’s President for Human Resources, stressed the need for Chulalongkorn to evolve beyond its prestigious legacy. “We can’t just rest on being Thailand’s oldest university,” he remarked.

Agreements and Future Steps

While CU is also exploring partnerships with top global institutions such as Oxford and MIT, the Malaysian tour resulted in a tentative agreement for joint activities with UM and UPM. These include research collaboration, academic exchanges, joint seminars, and a proposed $100,000 matching grant to facilitate shared research initiatives.

Professor Parichart concluded that although improving global rankings is important, the core purpose of the visit was to build meaningful academic partnerships with institutions that share similar regional and developmental contexts.

As Chulalongkorn University looks ahead to its future, its leadership is focused on adapting best practices from abroad while preserving a uniquely Thai identity, balancing tradition with global ambition.