Universiti Brunei Darussalam


Universiti Brunei Darussalam is the first university in Brunei. It was established in 1985 and has since become the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered.
UBD is ranked 86th in Asia by the 2020 QS Asia University Rankings
, and 254th in the world by the 2021 QS World University Rankings.

Background

History

UBD was established in 1985, opening its doors to the first intake of 176 students. Since then, UBD has seen an increase in the number of graduates, the introduction of new academic programmes, the enhancement of infrastructure and the development of graduate studies.
The university moved to its current location, Tungku Link, in 1995. There are nine academic faculties and seven research institutes covering the fields of Science, Health Sciences, Asian Studies, Policy Studies, Education, Business, Engineering, Biodiversity, Advanced Materials & Energy Sciences, Advanced Research, Applied Data Analytics, Islamic Studies, Leadership, Innovation & Advancement.

International students

UBD opened its doors to international students from its inception. Over the years, there has been an increase in diversity, with many students coming from East Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Today, UBD offers a range of programmes to enhance international relations, such as the Brunei-US Enrichment Programme for ASEAN and the Discovery Year programme, which encourages students to go abroad during the third year of their undergraduate programme.

Academics

Admissions to UBD is extremely competitive. Brunei had only 4 large universities that offer undergraduate and graduate studies, but 2 of them are religious universities, local applicants could only apply through online service known as HECAS where the representatives of Ministry of Education and local universities to pick only qualified students that meet the requirements of points of specific exams such as General Cambridge Education A-Level Examinations.

Faculties and institutes

UBD currently offers five undergraduate degree programmes:
UBD offers graduate degrees in the following disciplines:
The MRCGP examinations were first established in the Institute of Medicine in 2005 after Brunei Darussalam was awarded host body status by the Royal College of General Practitioners, UK. Membership of the RCGP has long been established and recognized as the standard assessment for family doctors. Brunei Darussalam is the first host examining body in the region and has successfully conducted the exams since 2005.

University Mosque

Construction on the University Mosque began in 1992 on a site of 2 hectares of land, and was completed in 1994, with a total cost of BND $7,600,000. The mosque was officially opened in 1995 by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. It has a capacity of 1800. The mosque is mainly used for religious activities carried out by the university and it also serves daily prayers for the Muslims students and the surrounding locals.

International rankings

In 2020 Ubd has climbed to 254 in the world ranking making it another achievement for the University.

Vice-chancellors

Vice-ChancellorsTerm in Office
1 Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Umar1985-1986
2 Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib1986-1988
3 Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz bin Begawan Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Seri Paduka Haji Umar1989-1990
4 Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Haji Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong1991-1998
5 Dato Paduka Seri Setia Professor Dr. Haji Mahmud Saedon bin Othman1999-2002
6 Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Ismail bin Haji Duraman2003-2008
7 Dato Seri Setia Dr. Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi2008-2015
8 Datin Dr. Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdul Aziz2015-present

Partner Institution

Southeast Asia

Singapore