Kuala lumpur: Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) continues to strengthen its reputation as a leading entrepreneurial university, having produced 26,645 graduates since its establishment 19 years ago.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, UMK vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Arham Abdullah announced that a total of 2,968 graduates received their scrolls at the university's 15th Convocation Ceremony this year. The ceremony included 44 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) recipients, one Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) graduate, 66 Master's degree holders, and 2,857 Bachelor's degree recipients.
Of the total graduates, 45 international students from six countries-Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Maldives, and Yemen-were celebrated during the seven convocation sessions held from today until Thursday. This was highlighted in Arham's speech at the first session of the 15th UMK Convocation Ceremony at the Dewan Keusahawanan UMK.
The ceremony was graced by UMK Pro-Chancellor, Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra. Arham also noted the recognition of the first cohort of 112 graduates from three new academic programmes: Bachelor of Arabic Language with Entrepreneurship (Honours), Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours), and Bachelor of Accounting (Honours).
In the first session, 111 postgraduate students received their scrolls, including 12 research-mode graduates who completed their studies within the stipulated time (Graduate on Time - GOT). Among these, eight were international students and four were locals.
Arham expressed pride in UMK's growing international recognition. The university is ranked 1501+ in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 and 401-600 in the THE Global Impact Rankings 2025. Additionally, UMK achieved a position in the 501-600 band of the THE Asia Rankings 2024 and was listed among the Top Five Malaysian universities in the THE Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2025 for the first time.
UMK debuted in the QS World University Rankings 2026, securing a position in the 1201-1400 band, and showed progress in the QS Asia Rankings 2026, advancing to 427th place from 501-520 the previous year.
Arham further mentioned that as of September 30, 2025, UMK's graduate employment rate was 97.2 per cent, while its graduate employability rate reached 96.7 per cent, with over 12 per cent of graduates becoming entrepreneurs. He stated that these achievements align with UMK's mission to become ASEAN's top entrepreneurship university by 2026 and in Asia by 2030.
According to Arham, UMK has offered places to 167 first-class graduates to pursue their studies at the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) level through a fast-track programme, as part of its efforts to prepare the country's future talent. He urged graduates to uphold UMK's values of integrity, responsibility, and service, and to continue contributing to society through their fields of knowledge and expertise.