Limkokwing Institute of Creative Technology was established in 1991 by founder and namesake Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Paduka Dr Limkokwing. In 2002 the institute became the first private college to be recognised as a University College.
Founder
Dr. Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing is the founder and president of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology. He established Wings Creative Consultants in 1975.
Campuses
Limkokwing University has a presence across three continentswith over 30,000 students coming from more than 150 countries. As of December 2018, the university hasd the following campuses:
The Limkokwing Borneo campus is in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state on the island of Borneo. The campus was launched in Kuching on 19 February 2009, marking the second campus for Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia.
The Limkokwing Botswana campus is in the country's capital, Gaborone, and was launched on 14 May 2007.
Limkokwing Lesotho is located in Maseru, the capital of Kingdom of Lesotho. The campus was launched by the Right Honorable Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili on 15 October 2008. The occasion marked the first entry of a Malaysian university into Lesotho and the establishment of Limkokwing's second campus in Africa.
The Limkokwing Malaysia is the flagship campus. It is in Cyberjaya, a township in Malaysia. The Limkokwing campus in Cyberjaya is home to 9,500 students from nearly 145 countries. The campus is the winner of the Highest Enrolment of Foreign Students Award and Special Award for Globalizing Malaysian Education from the Malaysian Ministry of Education and the Export Excellence Award from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
Limkokwing United Kingdom campus is in the centre of London at 106 Piccadilly.
The Limkokwing Swaziland campus is in Mbabane, Eswatini.
The Limkokwing Sierra Leone campus in Freetown, opened in March 2017.
The Limkokwing Uganda campus in Namataba, is expected to open in 2019.
Academics
Limkokwing offers foundation, diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree, DrBA, PhD, language, and professional courses. As of 2018, the university maintained the following academic faculties:
Through these centers, the university offers instruction in many specialties, including the following: Animation, Architecture, Business, Entrepreneurship, Fashion Design, Film Production, Games Design, Global Campus Learning, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Islamic Banking, Journalism, Mass Communication, Mobile Computing, Software Engineering, Urban Planning and Web Design.
Awards
The university has been granted a number of awards, including the following:
Global Innovation Leadership in Education, in 2010.
Outstanding Achievement in Web Development for Education Standard of Excellence, Portal Standard of Excellence, University Standard of Excellence, in 2010.
The Commander of the Most Meritorious Order of Mohlomi by His Majesty King Letsie III of the Kingdom of Lesotho.
In April 2017, the Accreditation Service for International Colleges and Universities from the United Kingdom bestowed Limkokwing University with the Global TVET Model University Award and Tan Sri Limkokwing with the Transformation Leadership in Global TVET Education Award.
Consortium
The consortium is made up of institutions that partner with Limkokwing University. These include:
Limkokwing through its training arm, Malaysia Design Innovation Centre, has signed memoranda of understanding with many industry partners. One of the objectives is to lend support to state governments, quasi-government organisations, multinationals, and small- and medium-size industries or enterprises in enhancing their creative capacity. Through the resources of the university and MDI, the partners co-operate in areas such as brand development, packaging design, and research and development.
Rankings
Controversy
In light of the global Black Lives Matter and anti-racism movement, the university was panned for the erection of a billboard depicting its founder, Tan Sri Limkokwing, as the "King of Africa". The billboard generated controversy as former students and staff at the university accused the university of having racist policies, such as not allowing African students to be ambassadors at open days and alleging that school administrators had made racist remarks on several occasions. The controversial billboard was taken down and the university apologised, saying that it "did not condone any discriminatory acts against any particular race". The institution was accused of issuing fake certificates and failing to meet legitimacy standards in Lesotho. It was followed by police investigation and court cases that showed cases of fraud. Earlier this year, an official statement was released by the Minister of Information of Sierra Leone, Mohammad Rahman Swarray, to address the government's position on Limkokwing University. It was said that the university failed to honor the agreement made by the Government of Sierra Leone and the institution regarding scholarships, fee payment, hiring of 80% local staff and the training of 200 public servants each year. The Minister of Information stated, "the government has reached the decision, that we'll no longer be blackmailed". In addition, cases of unjust work ethics, under-qualified lecturers, falsification of academic transcripts, inequality in pay and underpay raised concerns in Botswana where the Malaysian university has a campus.
