APU climbs to No. 2 among ASEAN private universities in ranking

APU climbs to No. 2 among ASEAN’s private universities in the AppliedEdu 2027 ranking. Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation rose three places, from fifth.

The university called it a milestone for a campus built on tech and career skills. Sunway University kept the top spot, the ranking’s own release said.

Here is how the ranking works, what APU says and how the top schools line up.

How the AppliedEdu ranking works

AppliedEdu says the 2027 list covers 316 universities in nine ASEAN countries. The last list had 237. So APU climbs to No. 2 in a field a third larger.

More than 100,000 student survey replies fed the results. Peer votes from academics and checked data from each school also count.

Teaching and learning carries the most weight, at 40% of the score. Jobs for graduates add 20% for private schools and 15% for public ones.

Research counts for 10% for private schools. Reputation, community work and global reach count for 10% each.

Public and private schools are ranked apart, with different weights. Students also shape the results with views on teaching, facilities and campus life.

APU said the list came out at AppliedEduXChange 2026 on 20 and 21 October at Sunway Square. More than 150 university leaders came. The theme was “Beyond Skills: Building Employable, Industry-Ready Graduates”.

APU also said AppliedEdu, once called AppliedHE, took its new name in September 2026. The new name covers a wider range, it said.

What APU says about the result

Datuk Parmjit Singh, APU’s chief executive and co-founder, called it a proud milestone as APU climbs to No. 2. “Educational excellence must translate into opportunity,” he said.

He said every course, tie-up and tech investment should help students gain knowledge, judgement and confidence. The result, he added, makes APU more set on moving forward.

The campus lists an AI Supercomputing Lab, a CyberSecurity Talent Zone and a Financial Trading Centre. APU also says the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) names it a Premier Digital Tech Institution.

APU reports a steady 100% employment rate for graduates within six months. This is the school’s own figure, and we could not verify it.

It also says its students come from more than 130 countries. The campus sits in MRANTI Park, an innovation hub in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

How the top private schools line up

The ranking’s own release names Sunway University as No. 1. APU takes second place, up from fifth.

Taylor’s University ranks third and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS fourth, it said. The full top 10 is in an image we could not read.

Malaysia holds seven of the top ten private places, the release said. It also lists 21 private and 16 public Malaysian schools in the top 50 of each group.

Our past report said APU ranked fourth in the 2025 edition, under the old AppliedHE name. The new release gives fifth as APU’s last place, so a list in between may exist.

Jobs for graduates are a growing yardstick for students and parents. See our report on Talentbank’s National Graduate Employability Index. Also read how Taylor’s University topped regional rankings.

The next list, AppliedEdu University Rankings 2027 for all of Asia, follows on 30 November 2026, the release said. By then, APU’s spot at No. 2 in the ASEAN private list will face a wider field.