Malaysian universities court Indian students

Malaysia is touting its education credentials in the world’s most populous country, as it strives to double its international student intake in just two years.

Malaysia’s high commissioner to India, Muzafar Shah Mustafa, said his country was working to attract more Indian students as part of its global efforts to promote its universities.

Mr Muzafar reportedly made the remarks during an online event to launch a $50 million (£39 million) scholarship programme for overseas students attending one of Malaysia’s oldest business schools.

“Malaysia is committed to becoming a hub of talent and knowledge,” he reportedly said, in a verbatim rendition of comments by former higher education minister Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin in a speech last year. “We aim to attract and nurture talented individuals and minds from around the globe and serve as a centre of excellence for generating, disseminating and applying knowledge.”

Malaysia’s goal of hosting 250,000 foreign tertiary students by 2025 was outlined in a 2015 higher education blueprint. While the government does not report overall international enrolments, the current tally is thought to be around half the 2025 target – with a surprisingly small proportion from India, given its size and proximity.

According to data platform Statista, barely 4,000 Indians were enrolled in Malaysian higher education institutions in 2022.

Figures from Education Malaysia Global Services, the government’s promotional arm for international education, suggest that India is a small if growing market for local educators. Just 3 per cent of international student applications are from India, with most coming from China and Malaysia’s Muslim majority neighbours of Bangladesh and Indonesia.

However, two-way educational ties could be bolstered by a Malaysian branch campus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) system, following similar developments in Tanzania and Abu Dhabi. In late 2022 the system’s first member, IIT Kharagpur, announced its intention to establish a campus in Kuala Lumpur. 

While that is yet to happen, Mr Muzafar reportedly said he was “eager to welcome” the new IIT outpost. He also highlighted the opportunities for Indian students through the “MyBinary International Grant”, a $50 million scheme that covers half the tuition fees of foreign recruits to the 40-year-old Binary University of Management and Entrepreneurship.

Malaysia and India reportedly agreed to boost academic collaborations during a meeting of the countries’ respective foreign ministers in New Delhi in November.

“Intra-Asian mobility” is a growing threat to the dominant international education hosts of the anglosphere, according to consultants Acumen. In a recent report, it says financial constraints and Covid-induced “travel hesitancy” were shepherding the region’s globetrotting students towards destinations “closer to home”.

Malaysia’s established status as a transnational education hub makes it a popular choice and it is not far behind Australia as the top destination for Indonesian students, the report says.

“Twenty years ago, Malaysia focused on affordability, cultural proximity and flexibility as its unique value propositions for inbound students,” noted Kenny Choo, Acumen Malaysia’s manager of customer experience. “Now the message to incoming international students is, ‘Study your entire undergraduate degree in Malaysia and take your master’s abroad’ – and we’re seeing the market respond positively.”

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com