The increase in the cost of living gives a huge impact on student spending, especially university students. To support students financially, the government and universities take proactive steps to expand university funding through social funds such as zakat and waqf. This paper aims to explain the governance of zakat management in a public university, namely the Waqf and Zakat Center (PWZ) of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). Zakat management at USIM was then compared with zakat management at the Waqf, Zakat and Endowment Center (WAZAN) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). This study uses a qualitative approach to gain information and analyse the data for zakat management approach from both universities. The results of the study found that both PWZ and WAZAN have two main committees to manage zakat which involves reporting zakat operations in terms of collection and distribution and making decisions involving policies as well as zakat distribution management within the university. Based on the governance of the two universities, this study suggests that the State Islamic Religious Council and the university's top management give full trust to the university's zakat center to coordinate all zakat-related activities in their respective universities in addition to allowing collections to be made around the university area.