Kuala lumpur: A total of 139,341 international students from over 160 countries have chosen to pursue their studies at Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (IPT) as of March 31, 2025. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir highlighted the country's high-quality education ecosystem, affordable cost of living, national security, and globally recognized academic programs as key factors attracting international students.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir emphasized that the increasing number of international students enriches the learning atmosphere with cultural diversity and fosters an environment conducive to the exchange of ideas and experiences. He mentioned that the growth in international student numbers is also supported by strong diplomatic relations, mutual recognition of academic qualifications, and strengths in high-impact fields such as medicine, engineering, information technology, and business management.
Further, Zambry noted Malaysia's rising status as an international higher education hub, evidenced by the University of Malaya's (UM) advancement to the 58th position in the QS World University Rankings 2026, up from 60th the previous year. Other universities, such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), also saw significant improvements in their rankings.
In the private sector, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) achieved a ranking of 251st, Taylor's University 253rd, UCSI University 269th, and Sunway University entered the world's top 500 at 410th position. Zambry pointed out that these improvements in global rankings underscore advancements in academic reputation, research quality, international visibility, and graduate employability.
He also highlighted the strengthening of synergies between local academics and international partners through collaborative platforms like academic mobility programs. Over 1,200 research projects have been conducted with renowned universities in the UK, Australia, Japan, the Middle East, and ASEAN countries, contributing to the publication of highly indexed articles, which now make up more than 35 percent of all Scopus Malaysia articles from international collaborations.