Straddling the South China Sea and home to an array of cultures, a diverse geography and a futuristic capital city, Malaysia is a truly unique country, in both its landscapes and its citizens.
Choose to study in Malaysia and you’ll discover that the country’s natural beauty extends way beyond its ancient rainforests, national parks and glorious beaches. In the cities too, there’s plenty to keep all the senses occupied, from colorful and varied markets to the mosques, Buddhist temples and Hindu shrines that are often found side by side, and the profusion of annual festivals celebrating both traditional and modern aspects of Malaysian culture.
One of the world’s most politically stable countries, Malaysia may be second to Singapore in terms of regional economic clout, but it offers a much more organic lifestyle than its city-state rival. Malaysia is a country, where you wont have to worry about eating out, as everything is halaal. The climate is just like Bangladesh and as it’s a Muslim country, the culture is somewhat the same as well. Plus it’s a short flight home and is connected with both Chittagong and Dhaka so anytime you are feeling homesick, your friends and family can hop on a plane to come visit you!
Malaysia is centrally connected with other East Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand. Plus, Malaysia is a hot tourist destination in itself with picturesque Langkawi and Genting Highlands offering the perfect weekend getaway.
Malaysia is home to several international branch campuses of universities from other countries, a plan aimed at expanding and improving the country’s range of higher education options. Existing branch campuses include those operated by the UK’s University of Nottingham and Australia’s Monash University.
Malaysia’s investment in branch campuses has resulted in the new EduCity development in Johor, at the southernmost tip of Peninsular Malaysia, just 5km north of Singapore. Due to be completed in 2018, this 350-acre campus will be shared by eight international branches run by leading universities from around the world. These include the UK’s University of Reading, the University of Southampton and Newcastle University Medicine, as well as the Netherlands’ Maritime Institute of Technology, Singapore’s private Raffles University and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts from the US.
While the growing presence of overseas universities in Malaysia is broadening the country’s higher education offering, its home-grown universities shouldn’t be overlooked. Malaysia’s higher education system was ranked 27th in the new QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings in 2016, reflecting the strength of its flagship universities.
The cost of living for international students in Malaysia is as low as MYR 10,000-12,000 (~US$2,370-2,840) per year, including food, travel and accommodation. Unfortunately, it is illegal for international students to work in Malaysia so all your expenses will have to be funded by your parents. Transport costs can be low or even nill especially if you find accommodation near your university. Most students opt to live in shared basis with fellow class mates or country mates in rented apartments. Such apartments can be easily found in societies which are present near every major university and come equipped with a fully functional kitchen as well for you to cook your meals. You need a minimum of 2500 ringgits per month to live comfortably including rent, phone plan, transportation etc. You can survive on even less if you cut corners and make your own meal. Low cost airlines operating in and around Malaysia make travelling in Malaysia cheap and affordable.
