Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) was officially launched on 13 August 2002 as a not-for-profit private university providing affordable quality education. It is established under the UTAR Education Foundation and registered under the Malaysian Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996.

Guided by its vision to be a global university of educational excellence, UTAR is highly reputed as one of the fastest growing private higher education institutions in the country with phenomenal growth in all aspects of its development since its inception. With the first intake of only 411 students in its Petaling Jaya campus in 2002, the University’s enrolment has now reached more than 21,000 students with campuses located in Kampar, Perak and Bandar Sungai Long, Selangor.

UTAR has graduated over 79,000 students since its inaugural convocation in 2005 and has made impressive strides in establishing a strong reputation as a comprehensive University with dedication to achieving excellence in teaching and research. The University currently offers 131 academic programmes from Foundation Studies to Bachelor's, Master’s, and PhD degrees in the fields of Accounting, Business and Economics, Actuarial Science, Mathematics and Process Management, Agriculture and Food Science, Arts, Social Sciences and Education, Creative Industries and Design, Engineering and Built Environment, Information and Communication Technology, Life and Physical Sciences, and Medicine and Health Sciences.