SETARA & MyQuest RANKING in Higher Educational Institutions for SESSION 2022

by StudyMalaysia.com on October 2, 2023 | Top Stories

SETARA & MyQuest RANKING in Higher Educational Institutions for SESSION 2022 - StudyMalaysia.com

The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE/KPT) uses the Malaysian Higher Education Institutions Integrated Rating (SETARA) instrument and the Private College Quality and Equivalence Evaluation System (MyQuest) to carry out the ranking of Malaysian higher education institutions. SETARA is a ranking system that aims to ensure the maintenance of the quality assurance and standards of Malaysia’s public and private universities and colleges, while MyQuest evaluates the performance of private colleges with the objective of improving them to meet the changing demands at the global level. Both rankings are aimed at spurring Malaysian Higher Education to greater heights.

These rankings provide a way for students to compare different institutions and make informed choices about where to further their studies. The rankings also benefit the universities/colleges that have been well-placed to attract international students and to promote our higher education system abroad. However, for the session 2022, some adjustments have been made to accommodate the effects on higher education brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic from 2019-2021. Thus the rating for this session is based on data collected for 2021 only. All data provided have to go through stringent verification and validation by Side Audit with auditors appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education.

The SETARA rating is evaluated through four main core functions:

General
Teaching & Learning
Research
Service

The MyQuest rating is assessed through 5 main cores:

Student quality and diversity
Resource and financial sustainability
Quality management system
Programme recognition/Graduate recognition
Institutional Reputation

In previous sessions SETARA and MyQuest used a star rating system on a scale of 1 to 6 stars. 6 stars would indicate that an institution of higher learning was at an excellent level and demonstrated international competitiveness. A one-star rating showed that the institution was not competitive enough and did not meet the minimum criteria. For the session 2022 institutions upon evaluation are placed under two categories - the COMPETITIVE category and the VIABLE category.

Institutions under the COMPETITIVE category are considered excellent and capable of competing at the international level while those under the VIABLE category have the potentials for development and improvement. They are considered good and have achieved the minimum criteria. However, to be placed under the VIABLE category represents a call for action to improve the institutions.

All together 104 public universities, private universities and university colleges participated in the SETARA rating for the 2022 session while 175 private colleges participated in the MyQuest rating for the same year. It is compulsory for all public and private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia to participate in this ranking.

The breakdown is as follows:

SETARA (104 institutions)
- 90 (86.54%) institutions are placed in the COMPETITIVE category
- 14 (13.46%) institutions are placed in the VIABLE category
MyQuest (175 institutions)
- 158 (90.29%) institutions are placed in the COMPETITIVE category
- 17 (9.71%) institutions are place in the VIABLE category

More than 85 percent of Higher Learning Institutions are rated as Competitive under the SETARA and MyQuest systems for the session 2022. This bodes well for the Malaysian Higher Education.

The full list of ratings can be viewed via the website of the Ministry of Higher Education at

https://jpt.mohe.gov.my/portal/index.php/ms/setara-myquest

Implications of SETARA/MyQuest rankings for institutions of higher learning:

Those placed under the COMPETITIVE category

* do not need further verification visits for new intake of local and foreign students.

do not need further verification to change/add on to/ renovate existing premises.
are allowed to adjust their tuition fees.
are allowed to set up branch campuses.
can be franchised.
can make the rankings public to promote their institutions.

Implications of SETARA/MyQuest rankings for parents and students:

Parents and students get to see the whole list of universities and colleges with their respective rankings.
Parents and students can use these ratings to gauge the performance of these institutions.
These rankings offer parents and students some reference as to which universities to choose.
Parents and students can be quite sure of being able to make informed decisions as to where and what to study.

The Ministry aims to implement improvements and strengthening of SETARA and MyQuest from time to time in line with the changing environment and ecosystem of the country’s higher education. It will take into account the cultivation of new norms in the education delivery system, emphasis on the digitalisation agenda, educational technology based on the Industrial  Revolution 4.0 and other relevant criteria. It is hoped that through these rankings all institutions of higher education will strive tirelessly to improve the quality of education provided for their students and to work towards a greater capacity for sustainability on the world stage.

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