UOW Malaysia KDU is part of the University of Wollongong Australia’s global network, but has a long history of providing accessible, quality, tertiary education to Malaysia, and the surrounding regions, as KDU college and university colleges. Established in 1983, KDU was Malaysia’s first purpose-built private college that provided opportunities for Malaysian youth to pursue high-quality overseas tertiary education in a local setting. Riding on the success of the Damansara Jaya campus, a second campus in Penang was established in 1991. In August 2010, KDU College Damansara Jaya was upgraded to University College status – a reflection of its quality programmes, excellent teaching facilities, and strong industry partnerships. KDU University College then moved to its new flagship campus at Utropolis Glenmarie in January 2015. Also in 2015, KDU College Penang was upgraded to University College status. Both university colleges offer a full spectrum of programmes, within a contemporary learning environment utilizing state-of-the-art facilities, from Foundation through to bachelor degrees and postgraduate programmes. These include programmes in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts, game development and computing, communications, creative arts, business, engineering and nursing.

Through its global connections and real-world learning opportunities, KDU has nurtured many bright minds from different backgrounds, cultures and nationalities, inspiring them to make positive contributions to society. It has provided a platform for practical, impactful ideas to grow and for students to reach their potential.

As the first institution to have a purpose-built campus within a larger sustainable ecosystem and being the first to offer twinning programmes in the nation, KDU has broadened opportunities for its 50,000 graduates, who have gone on to find success in a range of fields, including in careers as corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and celebrities around the globe.

In November 2018, KDU entered into a strategic partnership with UOW Global Enterprises, a wholly-owned subsidiary of University of Wollongong Australia. Subsequently, in November 2019, the name of the college and university colleges were changed to reflect the stewardship of the University of Wollongong and they are now known as UOW Malaysia KDU. The UOW Malaysia KDU college and university colleges now form an integral part of the University Wollongong Australia global network. In addition to Malaysia, the University of Wollongong’s global network extends to campuses in Australia, Dubai and Hong Kong. UOW plans to develop the UOW Malaysia KDU University Colleges at Glenmarie and Penang into universities within the next five to seven years. In addition, from January 2020 UOW Malaysia KDU will offer undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the new Batu Kawan campus, to meet the emerging needs of that region.

The University of Wollongong is committed to becoming a pre-eminent provider of higher education in Malaysia. This commitment combines UOW’s internationally recognised teaching programmes and personalised approach to students with KDU’s 36 years of experience in private tertiary education, modern campuses and vibrant, industry-focused programmes. UOW’s presence in Malaysia will benefit the wider region, by producing international student growth and industry-ready graduates.