Malaysia is a comparatively small country, but a great place for education. It contains some of the greatest universities offering all major disciplines. Added with higher living quality among other Asian countries, Malaysia is a popular choice for international students.
Offering the highest level of education and research opportunities, here are the top universities in Malaysia for international students.
How Many International Students Study in Malaysia?
Malaysia contains close to 2 million students, among whom over 92,000 students are international in the country. Malaysian public universities are popular choices for international students. Over 40,000 students are studying in public universities from abroad.
What is the Most Prestigious University in Malaysia?
Universiti Malaya (UM) is the most prestigious university in Malaysia. It sits among the top 60 best universities in the world, ranked by multiple organizations. Apart from the best quality studies, it also offers very high research activities and opportunities for expansion.
Best Universities in Malaysia for International Students
1. University of Malaya
- International Admissions Page
- International Undergraduate Scholarships Page
- International Postgraduate Scholarships Page
- Tuition Fee Link for International Students
The University of Malaya is situated in Kuala Lumpur. It is both the highest ranked and the oldest university in Malaysia, sitting among the top 100 best in the world. It has more than 20,000 students and 2000 academic faculty members. Among them, over 3500 students and 283 faculty members are international. The university consists of 13 faculties, 2 academies, 5 institutions, and 7 centers. It is also the 9th best university in Asia.
The University of Malaya is the best university in Malaysia for international students, having over 3000 publications, 635 filed patents, and 222 granted patents. 3 prime ministers of Malaysia were graduated from here. The library contains 73 online databases with over 800,000 printed materials and many more electronic ones. It also secured over 1400 copyrights and trademarks. The QS World University Ranking placed the University of Malaya in 59th best university in the world.
2. Universiti Putra Malaysia
- International Admissions Page
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee Link for International Students
- Postgraduate Tuition Fee Link for International Students
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) is a top research university in the Malasyia for international students. It has over 28,000 students coming from 80 countries. The university offers up to 289 fields of study, which includes 84 bachelors, 7 diplomas, 62 coursework, and 5 research programs. Among the 1800 academic staff, over 92% of them are Ph.D.
The university consists of 15 faculties, 11 institutes, and 2 schools offering broad study fields and disciplines. The research outputs here are very high. It has 17 collaborative programs with 13 institutions internationally, and the alumni have generated over 57 startups worldwide. QS ranked the Universiti Putra Malaysia at 132nd best university in the world.
3. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
- Undergraduate Admissions Page
- Postgraduate Admissions Page
- International Scholarships Page
- Tuition Fee Link for International Students
Founded in 1970, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is also known as the National University of Malaysia. It’s situated in south Kuala Lumpur at Selangor. Over 26,000 students are enrolled here, among whom more than 1300 are international students coming from 35 countries.
This top university in Malaysia also has a teaching hospital, named Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). UKM contains 13 faculties and 12 institutes for study, along with 12 residential colleges. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is placed just after the UPM at 141st best university in the world by the QS ranking.
4. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
- Undergraduate Admissions Page
- Postgraduate Admissions Page
- International Scholarships Page
- Tuition Fee Page for Undergraduate Student
- Tuition Fee Page for Postgraduate Student
Next on our list of best universities in Malaysia is the Universiti Sains Malaysia, which was founded in 1969 in Penang. It is one of the most popular choices of higher study for international students. Currently, more than 24,000 students and 2200 academic faculty members are here., maintaining a student to teacher ratio of 19:1. It enrolls one of the highest numbers of students yearly in Malaysia.
The university has 8 faculties containing 28 schools and departments, along with 14 centers and 7 units. For research, 28 research centers and institutes have been established to cover every school. Students can live within its 11 hostels within its 3 campuses. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is placed 142nd best university by the QS rankings, which is one place after the UKM.
5. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
- Undergraduate Admissions Page
- Postgraduate Admissions Page
- International Scholarships Page
- Tuition Fee Link for International Students
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia was founded in 1972 in Skudai, Johor. It is specialized as a postgraduate university but offers undergraduate programs as well. It’s considered the highest research university in Malaysia, with the highest number of postgraduate students. More than 20,000 students are enrolled here, among whom 8900 are postgraduate students. 1500 academic faculty members are available.
Among all students, 5000 are international ones coming from 120 countries worldwide. This top university in Malaysia consists of 3 campuses, 7 faculties, and 30 departments and schools. There are 50 undergraduate programs offered here. The university is ranked 187th best in the world by the QS.
6. Taylor’s University
- Undergraduate Admissions Page
- Postgraduate Admissions Page
- International Scholarships for Undergraduate Students
- International Scholarships for Postgraduate Students
- Tuition Fee Page for International Students
Taylor’s University was founded in 1969, and it is considered the best private university in Malaysia for its high research activities and opportunities. The university has over 65,000 alumni spread across the world.
Taylor’s University consists of 16 schools under 4 main faculties. It has a strong research base with 5 research clusters operating independently. The research and enterprise division is separated into 3 major components for mobility and efficiency. Taylor’s University is ranked 379th best university in the world by the QS World University ranking.
7. Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) is a relatively smaller university in this list of best universities in Malasysia for international students. It was founded in 1997 and has over 7,000 students with 357 academic staff. 11% of the students are international, who come from over 45 countries. The university has over 19,000 alumni as of now. It offers 55 academic programs, among whom 40 are postgraduate, 14 undergraduate, and 1 foundation program.
Although it has a lower population, the university is active in research. It has over 13,000 publications and more than 65,000 paper citations. The innovative students filed 492 patents among whom 131 are granted. UTP also has partnerships with over 400 industries. QS ranked UTM at 439th place.
I hope that this article on the best universities in Malaysia for international students was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Asia Scholarships Page!
