The Brief
Malaysia student mobility outlook
Malaysia is on the cusp of becoming a significant study destination, and institutions already have plans well underway.
By Eugenia Lim
"International student numbers are projected to reach about 260,000 students by 2030."
Universities are not just crossing their fingers; they are physically expanding to meet the 2030 projections.
“There are opportunities for collaboration with mainland universities.”
In brief:
- Malaysia is emerging as a premier study hub, with international enrolments projected to hit 260,000 by 2030, driven by affordability and accessible visa regimes.
- As Western nations tighten borders, students are choosing Malaysia’s multicultural environment and English-led programmes, forcing universities to rapidly expand physical and digital infrastructure.
- To sustain success, institutions must support increasingly diverse student needs while navigating fluctuating government policies on post-graduate work rights and expatriate employment salary thresholds.
Malaysia is set to be a top study destination among international students with one of the fastest-growing international student populations. An average annual growth of 8.5 percent through 2030 is projected in the January 2026 QS Global Student Flows: Malaysia report, outstripping the QS’ estimated global rate of approximately 4 percent.
Meanwhile, international student numbers are projected to reach about 260,000 students by 2030 from 160,000 in 2024. The strong outlook is underpinned by affordability, cultural familiarity and the rapid expansion of Transnational Education, details the report.
Additionally, traditional study destination countries such as the US and UK have been increasingly implementing more restrictive immigration policies, which has set students looking to Malaysia as an accessible alternative.
As such, the Golden Peninsula is benefiting from this displacement effect, offering a comparatively open visa regime and the ability to obtain foreign university degrees.
Affordability & comfort
The projection echoes Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University Malaysia, Koh Sin Yee’s research in mobility in Malaysia.
In November, Dr Koh wrote an article titled “Regional Student Mobility to Malaysia” in the Singapore-based academic publication ISEAS Perspective, identifying the various trends and issues that have contributed to Malaysia’s emergence as a student mobility destination.
Notably, she raised the affordability of tuition fees in Malaysia. In her report, she wrote that annual tuition fees at US and UK universities cost around US$27,300-47,770 and US$13,650-40,945, respectively, while tuition fees in Malaysia cost around US$1,350-7,000 at public universities and US$2,300-9,500 in private universities.
"The attractiveness of a place like Malaysia is getting higher," she tells QS Insights, highlighting Malaysia's multicultural and multireligious environment as well as the use of English as a medium of instruction as additional draws to prospective international students in the region.
“All of this creates a very comfortable study environment, and also living environment.”
Gearing up
Dr Koh raised concerns about the preparedness of Malaysian higher education institutions to cater to the influx of students in the coming years, especially from diverse source countries.
Chinese students currently represent nearly 40 percent of the total of international students in Malaysia, but Southeast and South Asia are projected to remain the fastest-growing source regions, expanding at more than 5 percent annually through 2030, according to the QS Global Student Flows: Malaysia report.
“In terms of the diversity of these student populations, they're coming from wider locations. They may come with different experiences and expectations. Their academic levels may also be quite different,” she says.
Dr Koh says universities will have to cater to an increasingly diverse group’s mental health, well-being and learning needs.
Staffing and preparing the necessary infrastructure for a growing cohort of students will also require careful planning and execution.
Those are top of mind for Associate Professor Dr Joaquim Dias Soeiro, Deputy Dean (Internationalisation) at Sunway University. Speaking with QS Insights, he emphasizes that universities are not just crossing their fingers; they are physically expanding to meet the 2030 projections.
Sunway University is undergoing significant expansion for new academic blocks, a performing arts centre as well as a retail space, an effort that has been years in the making.
“The university is expanding because we know there is growth, we have put the ecosystems, facilities and operations in place to welcome the students,” he says, “and we know those numbers will come gradually from the international market”.
Sunway University targets 30,000 students in 2030, and hopes to up its international student count to 40 percent of its cohort from the current proportion of 30 percent.
One of the ways of ensuring quality education at its institution is by maintaining a healthy student-to-staff ratio, says Dr Soeiro, and Sunway has committed to ensuring there are five staff members for every 100 students.
Dr Soeiro says Sunway University is trying to stay ahead of the numbers and is already in the process of recruiting the staff needed to gear up for more students.
New status quo
For Universati Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), plans are also underway to increase student accommodations to cater to more students, even with limited campus capacity.
Its second campus in Kuala Lumpur is currently undergoing expansion plans, including 2,000 new student accommodation units and upgrading learning facilities to support key fields like AI and engineering programmes.
Even so, the university is adopting creative ways to deliver their programs given the constraints.
“With the increased number of students, we cannot do things the traditional way by welcoming all students to campus, because we have limited capacity in the campus, particularly our hostel accommodation,” says Executive Director of the Centre for Recruitment & Admission at UTM, Dr Noor Hazarina Hashim.
“We see the way forward through new methods such as promoting open and distance learning,” says Dr Noor Hazarina.
This means implementing remote supervision for research students to shorten the time needed on campus and using open and distance learning when appropriate.
While it is well-received, Dr Noor Hazarina notes there are barriers due to regulatory acceptance in countries like China where students are banned from enrolling in foreign universities’ online courses.
But there are opportunities for collaboration with mainland universities. UTM is in discussion with a Chinese university for dual-degree programmes, noting that the approval process could take up to two years.
Government policy changes
While Malaysian universities are ramping up efforts to welcome more international students in the coming years, government policy on employment and also postgraduate mobility options for international students often impacts numbers as well.
“There are always policy changes related to employment and residence in Malaysia. And this may then dampen prospective students' interest in studying in Malaysia,” says Monash University Malaysia’s Dr Koh Sin Yee.
She pointed to the June 2025 update to Malaysia’s Graduate Pass which allows international students to stay, work and travel in the country after graduation for up to 12 months. Eligibility has been expanded to 32 countries, including China and India.
“This is also helpful and beneficial for Malaysia and for these students,” says Dr Koh.
However, a January update in Malaysia’s employment pass salary requirements could put a dampener on things. The minimum salary requirements for expatriates' employment passes is set to double across most categories starting June, in a move seen as an aggressive signal to hire locals.
“These kinds of policy changes that can happen from time to time for various reasons, can then impact the attractiveness of Malaysia as a study destination possibility for prospective students,” says Dr Koh.