University of Putra Malaysia


University of Putra Malaysia, abbreviated as UPM, is a Malaysian public research university located in Serdang, Selangor. Formerly it was named Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, focusing on agricultural sciences and related fields. Since the 1990s, the fields of study have expanded to include human ecology, languages, architecture, medicine, computer science and biotechnology. Currently there are 15 faculties, 11 institutes and 2 schools covering these as well as agriculture, forestry, veterinary medicine, economics, engineering, sciences, and education.
UPM has been recognised as a research university since 2006, one of five present in Malaysia. In 2010, self-accreditation status was awarded by Malaysian Qualifications Agency to simplify the procedure of accrediting academic programs, strengthening its own Internal Quality Assurance system to compete among local universities.

History

On 21 May 1931, UPM was established as the School of Agriculture, located in Serdang on 22 acres of land. The institution initially offered only two programmes: a three-year diploma programme and a one-year certificate course in agriculture. On 23 June 1947, the school was upgraded to the College of Agriculture Malaya, as declared by the then Governor of the Malayan Union, Sir Edward Gent.
On 29 October 1971, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia was officially established through the merger of the College of Agriculture Malaya and the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Malaya. UPM began with three faculties: agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine. On 23 July 1973, UPM opened its first academic session with an intake of 1,559 students. Four years later, on 30 July 1977, the university held its first convocation ceremony, during which Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was installed as UPM's first Chancellor.
On 3 April 1997, UPM was renamed Universiti Putra Malaysia by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The change reflected the university’s diversification into broader fields of study, particularly in science and technology. The word "Putra" honours Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, and also reflects the university’s proximity to Putrajaya. To correspond with the new name, UPM also adopted a new logo.

List of chancellors and vice-chancellors

#Vice-ChancellorsAcademic qualificationTerm in office
1Mohd Rashdan BabaDiploma of Agriculture, Bachelor of Agricultural Science, PhD in Agricultural Science.
2Nayan AriffinDiploma in Agriculture, Bachelor of Agricultural Science, Master of Education in Advanced Science, PhD in Extension Education.1 March 1982 – 4 June 1994
3Syed Jalaludin Syed SalimBachelor of Veterinary Science, Master in Animal Science, PhD in Animal Science.5 June 1994 – 17 April 2001
4Zohadie BardaieDiploma of Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in engineering, Master of Engineering, PhD of Agricultural Engineering.18 April 2001 – 31 December 2005
5Nik Mustapha Raja AbdullahDiploma of Agriculture, Bachelor of Economics, Master of Agricultural Science, PhD of economics.1 January 2006 – 31 December 2010
6Radin Umar Radin SohadiBachelor of Civil Engineering, Master of Engineering, PhD of engineering.1 January 2011 – 31 December 2012
7Mohd Fauzi RamlanDiploma of Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in agronomy, Master of Science, PhD in biology.1 January 2013 – 31 December 2015
8Aini IderisBachelor of Veterinary Medication, Master of Veterinary Science, PhD in Veterinary Science.1 January 2016 – 30 June 2020
9Roslan SulaimanBachelor of Veterinary Medication, PhD in Nervous System Physiology.1 September 2020 – 31 August 2023
10Ahmad Farhan Mohd SadullahBachelor of Civil Engineering, Master of Transportation, PhD in Transportation Studies.2 October 2023 – Incumbent

Campus

Apart from its main campus in Serdang, UPM also operates a branch campus in Bintulu, Sarawak. In June 1987, the National Resources Training Centre was relocated to Bintulu from its temporary campus in Kuching. On 27 August 1987, the Bintulu campus officially became a branch campus of UPM, abbreviated as UPMKB. Today, the campus comprises two faculties — the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities, Management and Science — as well as one institute, the Institute of Ecosystem Science Borneo. It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with a total student population of around 1,600.
UPM previously maintained another branch campus in Mengabang Telipot, Kuala Terengganu, from 1996 until the establishment of Terengganu University College in 1999. Originally functioning as the Centre for Fisheries and Marine Science under UPM, the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science was moved to Kuala Terengganu in June 1996, where it was upgraded into a UPM branch campus. On 5 May 1999, the campus was renamed Terengganu University College and became an associate campus of UPM. In 2001, it was granted autonomy and renamed Malaysian Science and Technology University College. In 2007, it achieved full university status as the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

Academic profile

UPM began its academic life in 1973 with three founding Faculties and a Division of Basic Sciences. The first intake of 1,559 students was for bachelor's degrees in Agricultural Science or Forestry Science, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Diploma in Home Technology, Diploma in Animal Health and Production, Diploma in Science with Education, and Preliminary Programme. As of 2024, UPM has 15 faculties, 11 institutes and 2 schools, offers 10 diploma programmes, 81 bachelor programmes, 75 Masters programmes by coursework and more than 300 fields of study in Master and Doctoral programmes by research. The Doctor of Medicine program provided by university was fully recognised by the Malaysia Medical Council on 5 June 2001. The School of Business and Economics has been accredited by AACSB in 2012, EQUIS in 2022, and AMBA in 2025, became the only triple crown business school in Malaysia.

Faculties, schools and institutes

As of February 2024, UPM has 15 faculties, 11 institutes and 2 schools.

Campus life

Residential colleges

The accommodation units in UPM are called "colleges", however, the colleges are not related to education, but built to provide accommodation for students, known as "residential college" or kolej kediaman. Before the UPM's Governance Transformation Plan, there were 17 residential colleges in Serdang campus and one in Bintulu campus. The residential colleges in Serdang campus can be divided into four zone, which are lembah, pinggiran, bukit and serumpun.
The Mohamad Rashid College is the oldest residential college in UPM, it was once named as Kolej Kediaman Pertama. After it was renovated, it has been transformed into KMR OnePUTRA Residence and managed by UPM Holdings since 2019.
The Tenth College and the Tan Sri Mustaffa Babjee College are two colleges at zon pinggiran because they are distant from other colleges, located at northeast and southwest of UPM respectively. K10 accommodate the students from Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Design and Architecture while KMB accommodates the students from Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The Twelfth College and Fourteenth College are located at zon serumpun and known as "Serumpun Colleges". They are built by PJS Development, a private construction company through the form of BOT. Currently, part of Serumpun zone is now included into Tan Sri Aishah Ghani College as KTAG zone B.
The Tan Sri Aishah Ghani College, formerly known as Thirteen College and Kolej Matrikulasi, has undergone several mergers and name changes over the years.
The Sri Rajang College is the only residential college in Bintulu campus, consists of 10 blocks that could accommodate up to 1,560 students.
The Governance Transformation Plan in 2019 has restructured the residential colleges in Serdang campus. Most of them have been merged with another college to save costs and improve administrative efficiency. As of 2024, the list of residential colleges which are managed by UPM is as follow:

Libraries

UPM has one main library and three branch libraries in Serdang campus, and one library in Bintulu campus.
The Sultan Abdul Samad Library is the main library of UPM. It existed before the establishment of UPM in 1971. The library was renamed the Sultan Abdul Samad Library and inaugurated on 23 May 2002, named after Sultan Abdul Samad, the fourth Sultan of Selangor. PSAS consists of block A and B, with total floor area of 19,007 square metres. The Anjung Siswazah located at block B is a space specially for postgraduate students, its collection are including printed materials, media and electronics.
Another three branch libraries in Serdang campus are Medicine and Health Sciences Library, Veterinary Medicine Library, and Engineering and Architecture Library. The library in Bintulu start operating when the campus was reopened in 2001. The operating hour of each library might varying based on the academic period of semester.

Main hall

The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Arts and Cultural Centre is the main hall in Serdang campus. It was completed in 1978 and known as the Great Hall of UPM before its name was changed. On 25 April 1996, the hall was inaugurated by Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the eighth Sultan of Selangor. Since then, UPM renamed the Great Hall to its current name. PKKSSAAS is the venue for orientation, convocation, and even examinations.
The Experimental Theatre is part of PKKSSAAS. It is a place for workshops on culture and arts, suitable for theatre performances and debate competition. It can also be used as a platform for the trial of performances.

Mosque

The UPM Mosque is the university mosque that built to fulfill the prayer needs of Muslim community from UPM and Taman Sri Serdang. The construction started in 1987 and completed in 1989, with total area of 9 hectares. The exterior design of the mosque is inspired by Saladin's war helmet, symbolising the spirit of Jihad in Islam. The mosque consists of 2 floors, able to congregate 9,500 people at the same time. The University Islamic Centre, founded on 1 October 1988, is responsible for managing the mosque and Islamic affairs of UPM.

Expo Hill

The Expo Hill is a recreational place in UPM, located at south of Thirteenth College and northwest of UniPutra Golf Club. With the area approximately 12 hectares, it has divided into five zones. Another 13 hectares is made up of 5 freshwater fish ponds which are rearing 5 different fish species. The Expo Hill was used as the venue of the Agricultural Expo and Convocation Festival for the first time during the first convocation of UPM in 1977. There is an elevated railway track crossing the Expo Hill, travelled by KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit, to which the nearest station is Bandar Tasik Selatan station.

Transportation accessibility

In Serdang campus, UPM buses travel between faculties and residential colleges to bring students to their destination. Starting from August 2023, UPM diminished the bus service to minimise carbon footprint and reduce expense. However, the MRT feeder buses with route number T568 are alternative transportation for the public including the UPM students. Passengers pay RM 1.00 with Touch 'n Go card from any station to any station.
The MRT of Putrajaya line has been fully operational since 16 March 2023, the UPM MRT station is located at the northwest edge of UPM, adjacent to the Family, Adolescent and Child Research Centre of Excellence. Except the Trek Rides demand-responsive transport service powered by Selangor Mobility, the MRT station is also accessible by feeder buses which their frequency is between 20 minutes and 1 hour, depends on the estimated peak hours.
Although e-hailing is available in campus, students can get downtown by the SJ04 Smart Selangor bus. The stations are including South City Plaza, The Mines, Serdang Jaya MRT station and the Serdang KTM station as the terminus.

Controversy

Killing of stray dogs

On 3 October 2025, an environmental group called Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam alleged that between December 2024 and January 2025, the university had unlawfully killed at least 18 stray dogs and 5 puppies in its university compound by way of shooting and poisoning. The group accused that, based on whistleblower's information, UPM had hired a third-party pest control company named PCH Care Services to kill stray dogs by firearms in two operations, with a cost of RM6,000 or RM7,000 per operation, or RM400 for each dog. PEKA also stated that they have received reports of university staff poisoning puppies and presumably burried their carcasses within the university compound.
The group alleged that the number of dogs killed could be as high as 20 to 30 dogs based on an invoice between UPM and the company, but so far the group could only independently verify the death of 18 dogs and 5 puppies based on photographic evidence. The group subsequently claimed that UPM and the company may have violated the Animal Welfare Act 2015, which prohibits killings of dogs and cats by firearms, and the act of inflicting undue pain and suffering on animals. They also questioned how the company could obtain firearms under Malaysia's strict firearms law, and whether proper procedures were complied with, such as notifying the police before their operation. PEKA also argued that UPM should have taken a more humane approach such as the trap-neuter-release method to address stray dogs issue through the university's own Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
In response to the allegations, UPM through a statement issued on 4 October expressed its regret over the incident and pledged to launch an internal investigation over the matter. The university stated that "As an institution that upholds the aspiration of planetary health, including animal welfare and well-being, the university will not compromise on what has occurred." However, PEKA criticised the university's response as "misleading, illogical and an attempt to downplay criminal offences", arguing that UPM has failed to admit responsibility and is trying to downplay the incident into a management issue instead of a criminal matter where police intervention is required.
On 7 October, the group filed a police report against UPM, Veterinary Service Department and the company, urging the police to investigate them under the Animal Welfare Act 2015, Arms Act 1960 and Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971. It also threatened to stage a protest at the university's entrance if no proper actions were taken by UPM by 10 October. Its lawyer also revealed that based on their query with the company, the actual cost per dog killed is RM220, however UPM was charged with RM400 per dog, therefore the remaining spending of RM180 per dog were missing. A day later, the police confirmed a criminal investigation has been launched under Section 30 of the Animal Welfare Act 2015.
On 14 October, UPM issued an official apology over the matter and relieved the duties of its Occupational Safety and Health Management Office director, who previously ordered the culling of stray dogs. It also suspended all stray dogs management activities pending the development of a new set of standard operating procedures.

Rankings

The graphs below show the QS Rankings and THE Rankings respectively. The rankings by region are not same as the Asian universities' ranking filtered from world rankings because QS changed the indicators and weightings; THE also recalibrated their results to reflect priorities and attributes of Asian universities. In the 2021 rankings, QS Top 50 Under 50 and THE Young University Ranking ranked UPM for the last time because 50 years had passed since it was established as a university in 1971.

THE Impact rankings

Times Higher Education Impact Rankings are the global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
YearRank
2019201-300
2020101-200
2021201-300
2022201-300
2023201-300
2024401-600
2025401-600

UI GreenMetric

In 2024, Universiti Putra Malaysia is ranked 24th in the world. The ranking of UI GreenMetric is based on six criteria:
  • Setting & infrastructure
  • Energy & climate change
  • Waste
  • Water
  • Transportation
  • Education & research
YearOverall rankingsTotal score
201067698.60
2011177204.60
2012196570.03
2013166672.85
2014426628
2015176491
2016346543
2017276420
2018327575
2019288000
2020288125
2021278425
2022258800
2023258900
2024249050
2025318975

Notable academics

Notable alumni

Politicians

Athletes

Academics

Businesspeople

Civil servants

Poets