Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has improved its standing in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR) 2027. In the rankings released on September 30, 2026, UGM was placed in the 801–1,000 band worldwide, up from the 1,201–1,500 band in the previous edition. Nationally, UGM was in the second-ranked group, alongside UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta (UIN SUKA).
UGM Vice Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, explained that UGM and UIN Sunan Kalijaga fall within the same global ranking band. Universities within each band are listed alphabetically, meaning their order in the list does not reflect differences in their ranking positions.
“We are very grateful that UGM has maintained its position as one of the country’s second-ranked universities, alongside UIN,” Wening said on Friday, October 9.
THE WUR 2027 covers 2,297 universities across 118 countries. It assesses university performance using five indicators: Teaching (29.5%), Research Environment (29%), Research Quality (30%), Industry (4%), and International Outlook (7.5%). Together, these indicators assess teaching, the research environment and quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.
Wening said UGM’s scores had increased across all five indicators. Its Teaching score rose from 33.1 to 37.1, while its Research Environment score increased from 24.0 to 33.1. Research Quality improved from 31.3 to 36.3, Industry from 57.2 to 58.5, and International Outlook from 43.9 to 50.0.
Research Environment was one of UGM’s areas of achievement. UGM recorded the highest score nationally in this category, reflecting the strength of its research ecosystem, including its research reputation, ability to secure research funding, and productivity in scholarly publishing.
Higher scores across all five indicators point to improvements in UGM’s performance across the areas assessed by THE. However, university rankings should be viewed not only in terms of an institution’s position on the list, but also through the indicators that highlight its strengths and areas for further development.
Wening said UGM would continue to strengthen areas of its performance that needed improvement. She emphasized that rankings offer one way for the public to assess university performance, but should not be the institution’s primary goal.
“We will continue to strengthen areas where we believe further improvement is needed,” she said.
UGM remains committed to improving the quality of its education and research while expanding its academic contributions. The THE WUR 2027 results offer the university an opportunity to reflect on its progress and identify areas for continued improvement.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Priyananda
Photo: Donnie