HELP University
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HELP University (Malay: Universiti HELP; formerly known as HELP Institute) is a private university located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
HELP is an acronym for Higher Education Learning Philosophy (HELP).
History
HELP Institute was founded on 1 April, 1986, by husband-and-wife Datuk Dr. Paul Chan Tuck Hoong and Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke and some friends with a budget of RM 25,000.
Originally located in a shop lot in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur, the campus began modestly with its library housed in a garage. At the time, it had just eight teachers and 30 students, offering the University of London External Degree Programmes and the British A-Levels. It was the first institution outside of the United Kingdom to offer the University of London's Diploma in Economics.
HELP Institute was the pioneer of twinning programmes, in which students can complete one or two years of the curriculum of the partner universities in Malaysia, then transfer to the overseas institution to complete their degrees.
In 1989, HELP Institute relocated to a building along Jalan Ipoh. In 1991, it moved again to a newer and larger purpose built campus located in Pusat Bandar Damansara, which underwent significant expansion over time.
In 2004, HELP Institute was granted university college status by the Ministry of Higher Education (Malaysia), and was renamed to HELP University College. In 2005, HELP Academy was established to offer programmes from partner universities.
In 2007, HELP International Corporation Berhad, the holding company overseeing its education institutions, was publicly listed on Bursa Malaysia.
In 2011, it was granted full university status and was renamed to HELP University.
On 24 November 2022, HELP University established Malaysia's first Centre for Neuropsychology to support teaching, research, and clinical services in the field.
HELP University is a member of the . The group consists of , , HELP International School, l, and Tunku Putra-HELP International School.
Logo
HELP University, HELP Academy and several of its subsidiaries share a common corporate logo featuring two hands: one extended in assistance, symbolising a helping hand reaching out to support the other.
Campuses
HELP University has two campuses, one located in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur and the other located in Subang Bestari, Shah Alam, Selangor. HELP University's Subang campus opened in April 2016, and is the largest of the two campuses.
HELP University's Subang 2 campus opened its doors in April 2016 and is the larger campus of the two. The campus won the IFLA Asia Pacific Awards 2019, Honorable Mention; and the Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards MLAA 2018, Honour, Landscape Design Award Professional Category. Both awards were won by Verona Landscape Architecture that designed the Subang 2 landscape.
The Subang 2 campus which was designed by GDP Architect, also won the PAM Awards 2017, Education (Commendation).
Faculties and Centres
HELP University has seven academic faculties, a Centre for Continuing Professional Development, and an Institute for Crime and Criminology. The faculties are:
- Faculty of Behavioral Sciences and Education
- Faculty of Economics, Business, and Accounting
- Faculty of University Foundation Studies,
- Faculty of Law and Government,
- Faculty of Computing and Digital Technology,
- Faculty of Communication, and the Media and Creative Industries.
- ELM Graduate School
Notable Alumni
Media and Entertainment
- Sarimah Ibrahim (Psychology) – TV host, radio announcer, former actress and singer.
- Lisa Surihani (Law) – model, actress, and TV host.
- Jane Teoh (Accounting) – model, Miss Universe Malaysia 2018.
- Shweta Sekhon (Marketing) – model, actress, and Miss Universe Malaysia 2019.
- Chris Cheong – magician, mentalist, and illusionist.
Sports
- Sara Yap Kim Wen (Psychology) – Bronze Medalist in Taekwondo at the 2018 Asian Games.
Business
- Venon Tian (Law & MBA) - COO, Zus Coffee
Awards and Rankings
- HELP University secured 46th place globally in the “Visionary Leadership” category of the 2025 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).
- HELP University and HELP Academy were rated Berdaya Saing (Competitive), the highest category, in the 2022 ratings by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education. Institutions were evaluated upon criteria set by Malaysia's Higher Education Institutions ratings.
- HELP University was the first university in Southeast Asia to be awarded five stars in eight categories by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Star Rating System in April 2020. The categories include Teaching, Internationalisation, Employability, Academic Development, Facilities, Social Responsibility, Inclusiveness, and Programme Strength for its Master of Business Administration (MBA).
- HELP University was ranked No.1 among 650 universities in Asia for the Outbound Student Exchange Program by QS Rankings: Asia 2021.
- The university was ranked between 401 and 450 in the QS Asian University Rankings 2021.
- In 2019, the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) granted HELP University the Premier Digital Tech University (PDTU) status, recognizing it as one of Malaysia's top tertiary institutions specializing in digital technology.
- HELP University was rated six stars for Human Resource Management, Language Studies, Education, Banking, Psychology, Mathematics and Statistics, Counselling, and Law by TalentBank in the National Graduate Employability Index in 2023.