Study in Malaysia

Malaysia is a country of diversity. It is home to numerous ethnic groups, races and religions. Its geographical location is almost as diverse as its culture. Malaysia, known as the gateway to Asia, has just about the right balance of city life and nature. From Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers to rainforests, Malaysia has a bit of everything.

Education system in Malaysia

The higher education system is governed by the Malaysian Ministry of Education. There are two types of institutions: colleges and universities. Malaysia is also well known for being home to branch campuses of foreign institutions at affordable tuition rates. Examples of such universities are Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology, Curtin University of Technology, University of Nottingham, Raffles Design Institute and SAE Institute.

Colleges: Colleges in Malaysia mostly function as independent institutions, and they do not have any university statuses. Colleges are meant for transiting into the university level of education. Hence, most Malaysian colleges offer undergraduate degrees or bridge courses for students.

Universities: A number of universities in Malaysia offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In addition, parent campuses of some of the top universities in countries like the UK, Australia and Ireland have established branch campuses in Malaysia. Branch campuses offer an equivalent degree to students, similar to what they offer at parent campuses, but at an affordable cost.

Why study in Malaysia?

Malaysian colleges and universities offer a wide variety of courses. Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are offered in various fields, including pharmacy, medicine, engineering, law, business, economics, commerce, information technology and education.

Outside the classroom, there are lots of activities you can explore. You can either visit the islands of Penang, Langkawi, Pangkor and Tioman and experience a nice beach holiday, or have a look at the colourful stages of Malay history in Penang. You can also head down to the famous Batu caves, a 400-million-year-old limestone hill with a series of awe-inspiring caves and cave temples.

Study options

Academic intakes vary from institution to institution. Most Malaysian universities have academic intakes in late February and in mid-July. Some universities (branch campuses) might have intakes in October or second or third round offer intakes.

University of Malaya offers undergraduate or postgraduate in architecture, which usually have intakes from September. Some popular engineering courses are available at Malaysian universities, which mostly commence from February or June.

Are you thinking of studying in Malaysia? If yes, then you will be interested in knowing about the education costs in Malaysia. Take a look at the cost of higher education in Malaysia to get an idea.

Tuition Fee Undergraduate Bachelor Degree - US $11,000 to US $18,000

Postgraduate Masters Degree - US $9,000 to US $18,000

Average cost of living: US $6000 per annum

Accommodation:

The average monthly rental for a single room on a twin-sharing basis could be between US $100 and US $150, depending on the area, the type of accommodation and the facilities available.

Other Living Expenses: Groceries and eating out - $40 to $80 per week

Phone and Internet - $5 to $15 per week

Public transport - $10 to $20 per week

Personal expenses - $ 10 to $ 20 per week

Entertainment - $20 to $50 per week The tuition fees will vary based on the institution (public or private) and the programme that you apply for. The tuition fees at a branch campus will surely vary from a parent campus. Undergraduate programmes in Business and Engineering at a branch campus could cost from RM 48,000 to RM 102,000 per year.

One of the most popular reasons why international students choose Malaysia is its relatively affordable cost of living and tuition fees. Students will also find that the accommodation options are quite affordable.

Accommodation could cost from RM600 to RM900 per month, three meals per day could cost from RM 20 to RM 30, transport could cost from RM 80 to RM 150, campus mobile phone bills could cost from RM 30 to RM 50 and personal expenses could cost from RM 100 to RM 200.

Scholarships for international students

There are various scholarships on offer in various fields, such as Science and Engineering, Agriculture and Fisheries, Biotechnology, Information and Communication Technology, Food Security and Environmental Studies.

Some of the popular scholarships that are on offer are as follows:

Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) Scholarship
Malaysian International Scholarship (MIS)
Malaysian Commonwealth Scholarship

Study visa for Malaysia

Visas

Most international students coming to Malaysia can get a student pass in a very simple process. One can be issued upon arrival at immigration as long as the student has a valid travel document and an approval letter from the Malaysian Immigration Department. The application for the approval is done in advance through the educational institution offering admission.

Languages

The official language of the country is Bahasa Melayu, although international students will have no trouble communicating as English is widely used and spoken. Generally, it is taught as a second language in schools and is used as a medium of instruction in most private higher education institutions. Because of its varied communities, other languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese and Hindi are common in some areas.