Malaysia tightens screening of foreign students to protect higher education standards

Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Azlinda Azman said all foreign students, including postgraduate students, were required to undergo a one-semester Bahasa Melayu course upon enrolment at local universities, particularly public universities (UA). ― AFP file pic

First Published: Thursday, 12 Nov 2026 6:07 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The admission of international students to higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country continues to be subject to a stringent screening process to ensure that only qualified candidates are accepted, thereby preventing them from becoming a burden to the nation.

Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman said particular emphasis was placed on cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and English language proficiency as key eligibility requirements to safeguard the quality of the country’s higher education.

“We want to ensure that quality standards remain at the highest level and not admit students indiscriminately, only for them to eventually create problems or become a burden to the country,” she told Bernama after officiating the Education Summit Kuala Lumpur here today.

Commenting on language requirements, Azlinda said all foreign students, including postgraduate students, were required to undergo a one-semester Bahasa Melayu course upon enrolment at local universities, particularly public universities (UA).

She said the measure would enable them to communicate in the national language in their daily affairs while fostering an understanding of the cultural diversity of the local community.

 “Interestingly, most of these international students achieve excellent results in the subject because Bahasa Melayu is actually easy to learn,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) and the NAMA Foundation were actively mobilising efforts to secure funding contributors to offer full and partial scholarship schemes for international students.

Azlinda said the funding initiative could help cover students’ living expenses while driving the target of attracting 500,000 international students by 2035 under the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint (RPTM) 2026-2035, compared with approximately 170,000 currently.

She said student placements were also aligned with universities’ areas of specialisation, such as marine science at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and artificial intelligence (AI) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Asia Pacific University (APU).

Meanwhile, Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) Chief Executive Officer Novie Tajuddin said Malaysia had made history as the first country in the world to establish a 24-hour International Student Arrival Centre (ISAC) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to facilitate the entry of foreign students.

“This is a unique initiative that has never been implemented by any other country and serves as an added value in terms of hospitality, distinguishing Malaysia from other study destinations,” she said.

She said the facility, introduced last year, operated on a three-shift basis with the support of four dedicated immigration lanes.

In addition, Novie said the focus on student welfare had enabled Malaysia to rise from outside the world’s top 20 to the group of 14 leading countries (“Big 14”), while also ranking among the world’s top three in terms of annual and five-year growth rates in international student enrolment.

In 2025, EMGS received more than 95,000 international student applications, an increase of approximately 17 per cent compared with 2024, bringing the number of foreign students in the country to more than 167,000 from over 180 countries.

At today’s conference, six universities signed memoranda of agreement (MoAs) with EMGS and the NAMA Foundation to support funding and welfare for foreign students. — Bernama