Innovative University College

About Innovative University College

Innovative University College (IUC), known in Bahasa Melayu as Kolej Universiti Inovatif and previously registered as Innovative International College (IIC) or Kolej Antarabangsa Inovatif, is a private higher education institution located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The institution was founded in 1999 as a privately funded independent college and operated under the Innovative International College name for more than two decades before the recent upgrade to university college status that produced the current Innovative University College designation.

The institutional history runs through two principal phases. The founding and college era (1999 onwards) established the institution as Innovative International College, with the founding mission of providing accessible and innovative higher education to Malaysian and international students across a spread of practical disciplines including English language, Business, Tourism, Hospitality, Islamic Studies, and ICT. The college operated through the next two decades at the Kelana Square campus in Petaling Jaya, building out its four-faculty academic structure, its Work-Based Learning (WBL) delivery model, and its corporate university institutional identity. The university college era began with the Ministry of Higher Education upgrade that moved the institution from the private college registration class (DKO) to the private university college registration class (DKU), with the institutional name updated to Innovative University College and the Bahasa Melayu name to Kolej Universiti Inovatif.

The institutional positioning today combines three signals. The corporate university identity positions IUC as a private institution focused on employable, industry-ready graduates through the Work-Based Learning model that combines academic content with structured on-the-job training at industry partners. The Klang Valley geographic positioning places IUC inside the Petaling Jaya higher education catchment alongside the broader Selangor private university cluster. The distinctive Islamic Studies and Hajj and Umrah Management specialism within the FISMA faculty differentiates IUC from the general business and IT colleges, with the Hajj and Umrah pathway spanning Diploma through Master levels and providing a clear vocational track for graduates aiming at the Malaysian Hajj and Umrah industry workforce.

Location of Innovative University College at Petaling Jaya

Innovative University College is located at Unit GL35, Main Lobby, Block C, Kelana Square, Jalan SS7/26, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The Kelana Square campus sits in the SS7 Kelana Jaya neighbourhood of Petaling Jaya, occupying purpose-fitted floors within the Kelana Square commercial block. The address places IUC inside the established Klang Valley higher education corridor that runs from the Subang and Petaling Jaya commercial zones into the broader Selangor private university cluster.

The geographic positioning carries several practical advantages for students. The Kelana Jaya LRT line provides direct rail access to the broader Klang Valley public transport network, with the Kelana Jaya LRT station and the surrounding feeder bus routes giving students mobility across the Klang Valley without requiring private transport. The SS7 Kelana Jaya neighbourhood sits at the intersection of established residential housing (suitable for student rental accommodation), the broader Petaling Jaya commercial and food precincts, and ready connectivity into Subang Jaya, Kelana Jaya, and the central Petaling Jaya commercial corridors via the LDP (Damansara-Puchong Highway) and the Federal Highway.

The broader Klang Valley higher education context provides specific positioning for IUC. The Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya corridor hosts a dense cluster of Malaysian private universities and university colleges including Taylor’s University in Subang Jaya, Sunway University in Bandar Sunway, Monash University Malaysia in Bandar Sunway, SEGi University in Kota Damansara, and several other private institutions. The cluster effect provides students with cross-institutional exposure, while IUC’s specific positioning within the cluster (smaller, corporate university, Work-Based Learning, distinctive Islamic Studies specialism) gives it a differentiated identity inside the broader Klang Valley private higher education market.

The Corporate University Model and Work-Based Learning at Innovative University College

Innovative University College describes itself as a corporate university, with the institutional identity built around producing highly employable graduates through an industry-driven and Work-Based Learning (WBL) approach. The corporate university framing differentiates IUC from the academic-research-led private universities and from the general teaching-led colleges, with the institutional emphasis on direct industry alignment, real-world skills, and structured workplace exposure inside the academic programmes.

The Work-Based Learning delivery model is the central pedagogical signature at IUC. Selected programmes (Diploma in Early Childhood Education (WBL), Diploma in Hotel Management (WBL), Diploma in Retail Management (WBL), and others) combine classroom learning with structured placement at industry partner organisations. Students rotate between academic semesters and supervised workplace learning, building practical competence alongside the academic qualification and entering the labour market with both the credential and the documented industry experience.

The corporate university and WBL combination connects IUC to the broader Malaysian policy emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and on industry-ready graduates, while preserving the formal degree-awarding capability that distinguishes a university college from a pure vocational training centre. The model is attractive to working adults and to school leavers aiming at direct career entry rather than academic research trajectories, and it supports the Open Distance Learning (ODL) channel at iuc-odl.my that extends the corporate university pedagogy to part-time and remote learners.

Programmes at Innovative University College

Innovative University College structures its programme catalogue across four faculties at the Diploma, Bachelor, and Master levels, with selected programmes also delivered through the Open Distance Learning (ODL) channel at iuc-odl.my.

The Faculty of Business, Economics and Finance (FoB) anchors the largest cluster, with Diploma programmes covering Business areas (with AI integration), the Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons), and the postgraduate Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Business Management (MBM). The Bachelor of Business Administration is the principal undergraduate degree at IUC.

The Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences (FoTAS) delivers the IT and applied technology programmes, with the Diploma in Information Technology (with AI) at the Diploma level and the corresponding Bachelor-level pathway. Programme content reflects the Malaysian IT industry employment market.

The Faculty of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Culture (FoLA) delivers the Tourism, Hospitality, Aviation, Retail, Early Childhood Education, and Law Enforcement programmes, including the Diploma in Tourism Management, Diploma in Hotel Management (WBL), Diploma in Early Childhood Education (WBL), Diploma in Aviation Management (with AI), Diploma in Retail Management (WBL), and the Bachelor in Law Enforcement Administration (Hons).

The Faculty of Islamic Studies and Management (FISMA) carries IUC’s distinctive Islamic Studies specialism, with the Diploma in Hajj and Umrah Management, the Diploma in Islamic Studies, the Bachelor in Hajj and Umrah Management (Hons), and the postgraduate Master of Hajj and Umrah Management. The Hajj and Umrah pathway is a clear differentiating specialism for IUC and reflects an exclusive collaboration with the School of Hajj Management.

At the postgraduate level, the Institute of Postgraduate Studies (IPGS) at ipgs.innovative.edu.my (also reachable at instituteofpostgraduate.innovative.edu.my) hosts the MBA, the MBM, the Master of Hajj and Umrah Management, and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management. The MQA-accredited programme list at any given time is published on the MQA register under the institutional entry at MQA ID 476.

Fees, Admissions, and Accreditation at Innovative University College

Innovative University College positions itself in the affordable to mid-range segment of the Malaysian private higher education market, reflecting the corporate university and Work-Based Learning institutional model that prioritises accessibility and career outcomes over premium brand positioning. The Open Distance Learning (ODL) pathway typically offers lower total programme costs than full-time on-campus delivery, since ODL programmes carry reduced campus and contact hour overheads. Specific 2026 fee figures by programme, level, and delivery mode should be requested directly from the IUC admissions office at info@innovative.edu.my or +603-2726 2436, since published fee schedules vary by faculty (FoB, FoTAS, FoLA, FISMA), by level (Diploma, Bachelor, Master), and by delivery mode (on-campus, ODL, Work-Based Learning).

Entry to Diploma programmes requires SPM with at least 3 credits in any subject and passes in Bahasa Melayu and Sejarah, or equivalent qualifications including O-Level, UEC, or the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) Level 3. The Recognition of Prior Learning (APEL) route is also available for working adults. Entry to Bachelor programmes requires the appropriate Diploma, STPM, A-Level, Foundation, or equivalent pre-university qualification. Entry to Master programmes requires the appropriate prior Bachelor qualification, with the MBA and MBM intakes also open to applicants with the appropriate work experience under the APEL (A) pathway.

International applicants should plan for the Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) student visa pass. The institution operates under Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education registration corresponding to its university college class, with individual programmes carrying their own MQA accreditation references that can be verified on the MQA register at mqa.gov.my under the Innovative University College / Innovative International College entry at MQA ID 476.

Contacting Innovative University College

• Address: Unit GL35, Main Lobby, Block C, Kelana Square, Jalan SS7/26, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
• Telephone: +603-2726 2436
• Fax: +603-2726 2437
• Email: info@innovative.edu.my
• Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
• Website: innovative.edu.my
• Open Distance Learning: iuc-odl.my
• Institute of Postgraduate Studies: ipgs.innovative.edu.my
• Founded: 1999 (as Innovative International College / Kolej Antarabangsa Inovatif)
• Current name: Innovative University College (Kolej Universiti Inovatif)
• Ownership: Private, independent
• Chairman: Dato’ Professor Emeritus Dr Hashim Yaacob (former Vice Chancellor, University of Malaya)
• Faculties: Business, Economics and Finance (FoB); Technology and Applied Sciences (FoTAS); Liberal Arts, Humanities and Culture (FoLA); Islamic Studies and Management (FISMA)
• Levels offered: Diploma, Bachelor, Master, PhD (Management)
• Delivery modes: On-campus, Work-Based Learning (WBL), Open Distance Learning (ODL)
• MQA register ID: 476

For programme details, current fee schedules, intake timelines, application requirements, and the live status of the institutional registration class, the authoritative reference is the institution’s own published materials at innovative.edu.my and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency public register at mqa.gov.my under the Innovative University College (formerly Innovative International College) entry.