UOW Malaysia KDU is part of the University of Wollongong Australia’s global network, but has a long history of providing accessible, quality, tertiary education to Malaysia, and the surrounding regions, as KDU college and university colleges. Established in 1983, KDU was Malaysia’s first purpose-built private college that provided opportunities for Malaysian youth to pursue high- quality overseas tertiary education in a local setting. Riding on the success of the Damansara Jaya campus, a second campus in Penang was established in 1991.

In August 2010, KDU College Damansara Jaya was upgraded to University College status – a reflection of its quality programs, excellent teaching facilities, and strong industry partnerships. KDU University College then moved to its new flagship campus at Utropolis Glenmarie in January 2015. Also in 2015, KDU College Penang was upgraded to University College status. Both university colleges offer a full spectrum of programs, within a contemporary learning environment utilizing state-of-the-art facilities, from Foundation through to bachelor degrees and postgraduate programs. These include programs in hospitality, tourism and culinary arts, game development and computing, communications, creative arts, business, engineering and nursing.