The Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) announced that a total of 40,000 new applications have been received from international students wanting  to continue their studies at Malaysian public universities (UA) and private institutions of higher learning (IPTS), as of December 2021.

EMGS announced that this is higher than the EMGS target for international students and indicative of international students’ interest in pursuing their studies at Malaysia despite challenges of the pandemic. They said that there has been a significant increase  for applications at postgraduate level.

This supports the Malaysian government’s plans to grow as an international education hub and host 250,000 international students by 2025.

Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2022/01/01/education-malaysia-40000-applications-received-from-international-students/2032379

Comments by British Council:

With international education impacted by pandemic related travel restrictions, health and safety concerns and issues of access around the world, it is significant that EMGS have announced more than 40,000 applications received by international students wanting to study at Malaysia – particularly as this exceeds their target. At this point in time, we don’t have confirmed information of how many of these applications will be converted to actual students joining. The conversion is subject to various factors including acceptance or travel restrictions among other factors.

Malaysia has invested and introduced several measures to establish the country as a regional and international study destination. This is in line with the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2025.

The plans cater to expansion for collaborative international research, training for faculty, support for education institutions, financial and career support for students and a special focus on graduate marketability in terms of career support. Malaysian institutions have steadily improved their rankings in international tables and increased their research capacity in recent years.

It is important to note that with the pandemic circumstances being fluid, and news about different variants around the world, parents and students may be looking for possible study options closer to home. UK institutions should utilise student facing messages to emphasize safety measures on campuses and student accommodation along with the range of support available for students in terms of access to health care, well being and pastoral support in addition to updates on scholarships, employability opportunities and the graduate route.