Malaysia is home to a number of branch campuses, and more being added every year. According to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, several Japanese universities are keen on establishing a presence in Malaysia and their request are now being evaluated. Among them is Tokyo University of Science, formerly Science University of Tokyo, the oldest private science university in Japan.

Last year Malaysia had announced for a two year moratorium starting from Feb 1 2013 on the setting up of new private tertiary institutions, with the aim to focus on enhancing the quality of tertiary education in line with global standards as well as to increase the competitiveness of local graduates. However, exemptions are given to institutions that are having their applications processed, existing institutions that set to be upgraded and also branch campuses of foreign universities that rate highly in international rankings. One of the major selling points of foreign branch campuses is that fees are perceived to be lower and that academic standards are higher and of a similar quality to the main campus of the university running the branch campus, which fits the objective to raise Malaysia’s status as an educational hub. Therefore, opening up branch campus may seem as an option for some UK institutions who can meet the government's policy objectives.