Northern University of Malaysia is also known as “Universiti Utara Malaysia”. Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) was incorporated on 16 February 1984 for the pursuit and development of management education that focuses on management, accountancy, economics, Information Technology, public management, human resource management, entrepreneurial development, tourism management, social development, bank management, finance, education management, and international affairs management.
Faced with this challenging task, the University has since its inception, ensured that its academic niche areas are focused on such disciplines as management, accountancy, economics, information technology, entrepreneurial development, tourism management, banking and finance, social development, human resource development and international affairs management. From its humble beginnings in Tanah Merah, Jitra, in 1990, the University moved to Sintok, a small town on the North-South Highway located 48 kilometers north of Alor Setar, the capital state of Kedah Darul Aman and 10 kilometers east of Changlun.
The 1. 061-hectare campus is surrounded by tropical rain forests set against a background of mountains. The Sintok and Badak Rivers run through the campus creating a truly unique feature as well as making it one of the most beautiful campuses in Malaysia. Located in the northern state of Kedah, UUM is the catalyst of growth for the northern region in Peninsular Malaysia. Apart from teaching and research, the University’s contributions and involvement in various community projects provide the impetus for socio-economic development and intellectual growth of the region.
The huge campus, which cost RM580 million, started its operation on 15 September 1990. It comprises 15 residential colleges which can accommodate in total of 20,000 students. Many of these colleges were named after multinational and public listed companies. The residential colleges name were MAS, TENAGA NASIONAL, TM, PROTON, PETRONAS, TRADEWINDS, EON, SIME DARBY, MISC, PERWAJA, MAYBANK, BANK MUAMALAT, YAYASAN AL-BUKAHRY, BANK RAKYAT, and SME BANK.
UUM is one of the very new IPTAs that offer accommodation to its students throughout their academic years at the University. The main buildings in the campus include the academic buildings, the Chancellery, Sultanah Bahiyah Library, Mu’adzam Shah Hall, and Tan Sri Othman Hall. Other buildings include the Sultan Badlishah Masque, Varsity Mall, Student Union, and Sports Complex. The University also provides 600 units of various type of housing for its staffs.
Universiti Utara Malaysia is an open campus where both the public even tourists are welcome to use the facilities available, such as 107 hectares of forest reserve, a nine-hole golf course, a camping ground, jungle tracks, an archery range, and a deer park, As such, the University provides on campus accommodation such as the University Inn besides the student residential halls which can be rented during semester holidays. The latest place to stay is the Executive Department Centre (EDC) which is located near the University’s main entrance. The campus is conveniently located near Bukit Kayu Hitam, a small town at the Malaysian-Thai border.
This town is the main entrance into Malaysia from the north through Thailand. Southbound, the UUM campus is about half an hour’s drive away from Sultan Abdul Halim Airport, Kepala Batas, which is about 20 kilometers from the state capital, Alor Setar. The nearest railway station is in Arau, in the neighbouring state of Perlis. Since its inception, UUM has grown and developed both physically and academically. It has nade significant inroads in the fields of Information Technology and Quality Management, UUM is also the first university in the nation to have its campus fully-wired with fibre-optic cables.
