Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Universiti Brunei Darussalam is a national research university located in Bandar Seri Begawan, 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 71st in Asia by the 2023 QS Asia University Rankings, and 387th in the world by the 2024 QS World University Rankings.

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 (China and Japan), 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 are extremely competitive. Brunei had only four large universities that offer undergraduate and graduate studies; two of them are religious universities. Local applicants could only apply through the online service known as HECAS (Higher Education Centralised Admission System) where representatives of Ministry of Education and local universities pick only qualified students that meet the requirements of points of specific exams such as General Cambridge Education A-Level Examinations.

Faculties and institutes

 * School of Digital Science (SDS)
 * Academy of Brunei Studies (APB)
 * Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
 * UBD School of Business and Economics (UBDSBE)
 * Faculty of Science (FOS)
 * Faculty of Integrated Technologies (FIT)
 * Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE)
 * PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS)
 * Institute of Asian Studies (IAS)
 * Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA)
 * Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)
 * SOAS Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS)
 * e-Government Innovation Centre
 * UBD|IBM Centre
 * Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER)
 * Centre for Advanced Material and Energy Sciences (CAMES)
 * Centre for Advance Research (CARe)
 * Language Centre (LC)
 * Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L)

Undergraduate
UBD currently offers five undergraduate degree programmes:
 * Bachelor of Digital Science (BDSc)
 * Bachelor of Business and Economic
 * Bachelor of Science
 * Bachelor of Health Science
 * Bachelor of Arts and Social Science
 * Bachelor of Engineering

Graduate Study
UBD offers graduate degrees (Masters by coursework or by research and PhD) in the following disciplines:
 * Artificial Intelligence
 * Robotics
 * Data Science
 * Cybersecurity
 * Islamic Civilisation and Contemporary Issues
 * Islamic Banking and Finance
 * Education
 * Energy Studies
 * Computing and New Media
 * Crop Science
 * Primary Health Care
 * Brunei Studies
 * Malay Language and Linguistics
 * Art, Professional Communication and Media
 * Asian Studies

MRCGP (International)
The MRCGP (International) 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 (RCGP), 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 (Masjid Universiti) began in 1992 on a site of two 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 Muslim students and the surrounding locals.

International rankings
In 2020 UBD has climbed to rank 254 in the world. In 2024, UBD has fallen down to rank 387 in the world.

Singapore

 * National University of Singapore
 * Nanyang Technological University

Malaysia

 * Universiti Malaya
 * Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
 * Universiti Malaysia Sabah
 * Universiti Sains Malaysia
 * Universiti Utara Malaysia
 * Universiti Putra Malaysia
 * University College of Technology Sarawak
 * Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
 * Universiti Malaysia Kelantan

Indonesia

 * Universitas Indonesia
 * Bina Nusantara University
 * Universitas Pekalongan
 * Universitas Airlangga
 * Institut Teknologi Bandung
 * Universitas Gajah Mada
 * Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

The Philippines

 * University of the Philippines
 * De La Salle University
 * Ateneo de Manila University

Vietnam

 * FPT University

Notable staff

 * Reginald Hugh Hickling, took part in the drafting of 1959 Constitution.
 * Rozan Yunos, adjunct professor at UBD's Centre for Lifelong Learning

Notable alumni

 * Princess Majeedah Nuurul Bolkiah
 * Princess Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah
 * Princess Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah
 * Princess Muta-Wakkilah Hayatul Bolkiah
 * Princess Masna Bolkiah
 * Crown Princess Sarah
 * Prince Abdul Malik
 * Adee Suhardee Muhidin, national football team player and club manager
 * Khairunnisa Ash'ari, former Brunei Legislative Council member
 * Ahmaddin Abdul Rahman, Minister of Home Affairs
 * Hamzah Sulaiman, former Minister of Education
 * Abdul Aziz Mohd Tamit, former Commander of Royal Brunei Navy
 * Jaspar Yu Woon Chai, National badminton player
 * Fakhrul Razi, singer-songwriter
 * Queenie Chong, Brunei Legislative Council member
 * Masurai Masri, diplomat
 * Noor Qamar Sulaiman, diplomat
 * Janin Erih, diplomat
 * Riza Yunos, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office
 * Sufian Sabtu, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office
 * Khairuddin Abdul Hamid, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy
 * Romaizah Mohd Salleh, Minister of Education
 * Nor Hashimah Taib, Attorney General of Brunei