Malaysia

Country

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is home to colonial buildings, busy shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang and skyscrapers such as the iconic, 451m-tall Petronas Twin Towers. Malaysia is home to several international branch campuses of universities from other countries, a plan aimed at expanding and improving the country’s range of higher education options. Malaysia’s investment in branch campuses has resulted in the new EduCity development in Johor, at the southernmost tip of Peninsular Malaysia. These include the UK’s University of Reading, the University of Southampton and Newcastle University Medicine, as well as the Netherlands’ Maritime Institute of Technology, Singapore’s private Raffles University and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts from the US.

While the growing presence of overseas universities in Malaysia is broadening the country’s higher education offering, its home-grown universities shouldn’t be overlooked. Many private universities in Malaysia offer a twinning or 2+1-degree option. This allows students to complete part of their degree in Malaysia and part at a partner institution in another country. This option has been popular, as it offers the chance to gain a degree accredited by a prestigious university in an established higher education destination (such as the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, France or Germany) without paying the full costs of studying abroad for the entire length of the degree.

Although a key attraction of studying in Malaysia is the relatively low cost of fees and living expenses – certainly when compared to countries like the UK and US – Malaysia is much more than just a budget option for international students.

The Malaysian government offers funds for international students, one such fund being the Malaysian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students with a 2:1 degree or higher.