HELP becomes first SEA private university to get 5QS stars
KUALA LUMPUR: HELP University has become the first private university in Southeast Asia to be awarded 5 Stars in all eight categories of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Star Rating System for international higher education institutions putting it on par with the world’s leading academic institutions.
HELP University vicechancellor and president Professor Datuk Dr Paul Chan said its 5-Star Rating from QS is strong recognition for excellence.
“This explains why our students are not only highly employable, but they can also choose the jobs they want, become entrepreneurs, or further studies in top universities worldwide,” he said.
The eight areas of excellence are Teaching, Internationalisation and Employability are Academic Development, Facilities, Social Responsibility, Inclusiveness, and Programme Strength for its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme in the ELM Graduate School.
HELP University Research Management Centre director Professor Geoffrey Williams, who leads the university’s QS ratings process, noted that the ratings provides a comprehensive assessment of achievements across a wider range of areas.
“Our 5-Star rating allows our stakeholders, particularly students, to see where we excel through an objective, independent insight into how HELP University measures up against international standards,” he added.
The QS Stars ratings team provided formal, independent audit of HELP University’s performance across 39 indicators in the eight categories benchmarked against objective standards of international excellence.
HELP University achieved full marks for student satisfaction with teaching and further study with about one third opting for full or part-time post graduate study.
Full mark was also awarded for Employability with the university’s in-house one-stop career support and development centre-CAREERSense.
Its world-class diversity and international outlook was given full marks for international collaborations with 116 global partners; students and faculty hailing from 62 different countries; and active annual student exchange programme with regional and global universities.
HELP University’s programmes for Social Responsibility were also benchmarked as world class with almost 100 hours of volunteer hours for each member of the HELP community and more than RM48 million of social value created each year.
For Inclusiveness, 37 per cent of HELP students from low-income backgrounds get high levels of help from scholarships and bursaries while minority groups and people with disabilities get full support.
Recently, its Faculty of Computing and Digital Technology (FCDT) and Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting were awarded Premier Digital Tech University by Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in recognition for being a leading digital tech focused tertiary institution.
As part of becoming an analytics-driven entrepreneurial university and to prepare students for the future, it is focusing on training students in Data Analytics, Internet of Things and software development. Its recent Memorandum of Agreement with Alibaba Business School provides mentorship in Data Analytics and e-Commerce for students.
HELP is also a hub for STEMdriven education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to inculcate key skills of creativity, critical analysis, independent thinking, and digital literacy.
This explains why our students are not only highly employable, but they can also choose the jobs they want, become entrepreneurs, or further studies in top universities worldwide. — Datuk Dr Paul Chan