Study in Malaysian Colleges and Universities
You can study in world class colleges and universities offering reputable degrees at relatively low tuition fees and moderate living expenses in Malaysia. The medium of teaching is English and the other considerable factors include lovely weather, excellent transport system and diverse culture. Malaysia has a number of universities with better reputation and international recognition that can surely make a considerable difference to your career and provide you the opportunity to improve your skills. The 80,000 international students from more than 100 countries studying in Malaysia is testimony that Malaysia is a friendly place for international students. For more information, visit malaysianstudy.com.
The Country
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Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi)
According to the world competitive yearbook published by Swiss institute of management development in 2010, Malaysia had an overall ranking as world’s 10th most competitive country. At the time of independence the economy was fully dependent upon rubber and tin industry but over the years Malaysia has become more efficient and competitive globally. World Bank has reported Malaysia as the world’s 24th most business friendly nation. A survey conducted by ECA International showed that Kuala Lumpur is still among the least expensive cities in terms of cost of living relative to other Asian cities.
Malaysia has a 30 year experience of international education and offer international students to be a part of its world renowned and well structured educational system at extremely affordable cost. 1n 2010 there were more than 80,000 international students studying in Malaysia proving Malaysia a better choice for international education.
The tropical climate makes the Malaysia a very pleasant place. The weather is generally hot for being close to equator. Overall the weather is lovely. Being multicultural makes Malaysia a food heaven. Malaysia is highly stable politically making it a peaceful and crime free place to live. The natives are very friendly and you will always feel home.
Malaysia is a relatively open state-oriented and newly industrialised market economy. The state plays a significant but declining role in guiding economic activity through macroeconomic plans. Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with GDP growing an average 6.5 per cent annually from 1957 to 2005. In 2011 the GDP (PPP) was about $450 billion, the 3rd largest economy in ASEAN and 29th largest in the world. Per capita is $16,186.

What to study

If you want to know what you can study in Malaysia, may be the right questions is what you cannot study in Malaysia. There are opportunities to study almost all types of courses. Accountancy, Travel & Hospitality, Hair & Beauty, Art & Design, Agriculture, Veterinary medicine, Social Studies, Education, Humanities, MBA, Law, Business, IT & Maths, Architecture, Engineering, Medicine, Science - thus you name it and you have it.
Higher Education in the Malaysian context covers Certificate, Diploma, undergraduate levels as well as postgraduate studies. Undergraduate studies consist of Bachelor's Degree levels and professional while the postgraduate studies consist of the Master's Degree and Ph.D levels.
Higher education at Certificate and Diploma levels are for students from the age of 17 with SPM (which is equivalent to GCSE 'O' level) while the Bachelor's degree level is usually for students from the age of 19/20 onwards with post-secondary qualifications such as the STPM (which is equivalent to GCE 'A' level) or Pre-University / University Foundation qualifications. These degree programmes normally take between 3 to 5 years. After obtaining their Bachelor's degree qualifications students can proceed further to do postgraduate studies.
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​Postdradguate courses like MBA can cost you from USD7,000 to USD9,000. There are also some professional courses like ACCA whose fee varies from institution to institution.
A major advantage for international students when choosing to study in Malaysia is the relatively cheap cost of living. The total expenditure for accommodation, either on-campus or off-campus is very affordable. A major advantage for international students when choosing to study in Malaysia is the relatively cheap cost of living. The total expenditure for accommodation, either on-campus or off-campus is very affordable. The average international student should be prepared to spend about RM1,000 (USD313) to RM1,500 (USD469) per month for living expenses in the vicinity of a city whereas in many other devloped countries, like Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK etc. this cost can be more than double of this.

When to apply

Usually classes start twice a year for degree and professional courses in January and August whereas for foundation/certificate and diploma courses there can be upto four intake. The admission process can take 2 months on average where the visa process can take more months. So the students are advised to apply at least 4 months prior to their course commencement date.

The requirements

You need at least 12 years of education (HSC equivalent) with at least 60% marks for admission in a bachelor degree and at least 16 years of education (a recognized bachelor degree with good grades) for admission at postgraduate level. Most University require minimum TOEFL CBT score of 173 to 250 or TOEFL iBT score of 61 to 100 or IELTS (academic) score of 6.0 to 7.0 as the minimum admission requirement. However for foundation/language/certificate courses or in case of private colleges, these requirements can much less.

Visa

The process to apply for a student pass is simple. The Malaysian educational institutions of higher learning which offer international students a place to study at their institutions will apply for the Student Pass on their behalf in Malaysia. Applications will be submitted by the educational institutions to the Director of Pass & Permit Division, Malaysia.
Students do not need to apply directly to the Immigration Department under this procedure. The prospective students will be informed of their application status by the Immigration Department in Malaysia through their educational institutions. This information is imparted within 7 days of the application, irrespective of the nature of the decision.
Your education institution in Malaysia will then inform you about the outcome of the visa (student pass) application and in case of a positive decision you will be sent the visa or as it is most commonly known "student pass" approval documents. You can then travel to Malaysia and once you are in Malaysia, you will have to get the visa approval on your passport. However, students from certain countries like Pakistan, the students are advised to get the visa stamped on their passport by the Malaysian Embassy, before travelling to Malaysia. For more information on visa, please click here.
Where to study

Tertiary or higher education in the academic and professional fields is provided by:
​Public Universities are fully funded government universities​
​Polytechnics train school leavers to be skilled technical assistants and technicians in various engineering fields, or junior & middle level executives.
Community Colleges are institutions for SPM or SPM(V) school leavers to train, 'reskill' or 'up-skill' themselves.
Teacher Training Colleges are responsible in producing teachers under the management of Teacher Education Division in the Ministry of Education.
Technical & Vocational Education is an alternative to academic qualifications. It emphasises on hands-on training & skill up.
Private Universities & University Colleges are private owned universities, established by financially sound corporations. They can confer the award of Bachelor degrees & other higher qualifications. They also collaborate with reputable foreign universities to jointly award degree qualifications.
Foreign University Branch Campuses are the branch campuses of foreign universities located in Malaysia and they award degree qualifications that are identical to that of the host universities (overseas). These institutions make it possible for students to obtain degree qualifications from the branch campus by paying the cost of a Malaysian education (at affordable level).
Private Colleges are colleges run by private sector to provide tertiary education to school leavers. Malaysian private colleges are renowned internationally for their long established twinning-degree-programme arrangements with foreign renowned universities. In addition, most of these PHEIs are also providing a most unique education structure, that is, the 3+0 degree programmes. Under this arrangement, students have a choice of pursing the British, American, Australian, French, NZ or Canadian programme leading to Bachelor's Degree qualifications, without having to leave Malaysia.

At present, there are over 400 private higher educational institutions in Malaysia but only about 216 of these private higher educational institutions are given permission by the Immigration Department to recruit international students for tertiary education.
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The Cost

The affordable cost of quality tertiary education is one of many good reasons why international students choose Malaysia. For example, you can acquire a UK engineering degree (for 3 years) in Malaysia through a 3+0 franchised degree programme at an estimated RM51,000 (USD16,000), whereas the tuition fee of the same 3-year degree programme at the host university in the UK is about RM144,000 (USD45,000) or £30,000.
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On average, a foundation course by a university costs you around USD5,000 to USD6,000 a year. A berlor degree costs from USD5,000 to USD7,000 a year in a private Malaysian university or college and the estimated tuition fees per year for Bachelor's degree at foreign university branch campuses located in Malaysia is from USD6,000 to USD8,000 a year. For a twinning degree programme, this fee can be double.
​Golden Breed​
Int. Edu. Consultants