KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya's (UM) first phase of its student residence project is scheduled for completion in 2030, providing accommodation for 10,000 students amid concerns over university housing shortages.
UM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman said the project, to be developed on a 4.17-hectare site at the university's Fifth Residential College, marked a significant step towards meeting students' accommodation needs.
"The project would provide more than physical accommodation, serving as a space for students to build friendships, develop leadership skills and pursue their ambitions," he said in his welcoming address at the launch of the UM Student Residence Project today.
Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Noor Azuan said he hoped the government would expedite the project, warning that students could graduate before its first block was built if implementation was delayed.
He said the initiative had taken nearly three years to progress through planning, consultations and government-level discussions.
"Universities are places where people think, but we must not overthink things to the point that students who enrol today graduate before the first block is built."
The first phase, covering 4.17-hectare, is expected to accommodate 10,000 students upon completion in 2030. The second phase is planned to provide accommodation for up to 30,000 students.
Noor Azuan said UM had spent more than a year presenting the proposal to various agencies before Anwar announced, during the tabling of 2026 Budget on Oct 10 last year, that the university would pioneer the construction of student residences.
He said a special national strategic project monitoring meeting chaired by Anwar on Dec 15 last year established the project's development model, financing arrangements and implementation terms.
UM worked with the Higher Education Ministry, Finance Ministry, Economy Ministry, Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) and several companies to advance the project.
Noor Azuan said UM is not seeking shortcuts that would breach regulations, but wanted to avoid unnecessary delays now that the project's direction had been established.
He pledged that UM would monitor the project closely and ensure it was implemented transparently, in compliance with legal and governance requirements, while maintaining safety and reasonable accommodation rates.
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