KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has attracted 139,341 international students from over 160 countries to its higher education institutions as of March 31, 2025.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir attributed this success to the nation’s high-quality education ecosystem, affordable living costs, strong security, and globally recognised academic programmes.
He stated that this influx enriches the learning environment with diverse cultural elements and fosters valuable exchanges of ideas and experiences.
Zambry highlighted that strong diplomatic relations and mutual recognition of academic qualifications further support this growth.
Malaysia’s strengths in high-impact fields like medicine, engineering, information technology, and business management also contribute significantly.
The University of Malaya rose to 58th position in the QS World University Rankings 2026, up from 60th the previous year.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia improved to 126th from 138th, while Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia both reached 134th place.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia jumped to 153rd position from 181st, showing remarkable progress.
Private institutions also excelled, with Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS at 251st and Taylor’s University at 253rd position.
UCSI University secured 269th place, and Sunway University entered the top 500 at 410th after climbing over 120 spots.
Zambry noted consistent improvements in academic reputation, research quality, international visibility, and graduate employability across Malaysian universities.
Several public universities featured in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2024.
Academic mobility programmes have strengthened collaborations with international partners through lecturer and researcher exchanges.
Over 1,200 research projects involve prestigious universities in the UK, Australia, Japan, the Middle East, and ASEAN nations.
Internationally co-authored articles now constitute more than 35% of all Scopus-indexed publications from Malaysia. – Bernama
