色狼社区

Why Students from China Are Picking Malaysia over Traditional Destinations

Mainland Chinese student numbers in Malaysian universities have surged recently, driven by affordability, proximity, and cultural familiarity, as well as restrictions in traditional study destinations such as the US.

Since at least 2019, China has become Malaysia’s top source of international students, overtaking traditional sources such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan. In 2023, a total of 44,043 Chinese students constituted 38.4 per cent of all international students enrolled in Malaysia’s public and private higher education institutions (HEIs). In 2024, Chinese student enrolment in Malaysian HEIs showed a fivefold increase from 2019.

Broadly, there are three contributing factors to this recent increase in Chinese student mobility to Malaysia: (1) shifts in immigration stances in traditional study destination countries; (2) geopolitical tensions and worsening bilateral relations between China and some traditional study destination countries; and (3) country-specific conditions in Malaysia and China. Importantly, these factors do not operate in silos; it is their concurrent existence that facilitates the current trend.

First, the shift towards more restrictive immigration stances in the “big four” study destinations (Australia, Canada, the UK and the US) is making them less attractive to Chinese students. This shift is evident in new initiatives such as capping international student numbers, increasing visa costs, imposing stricter student dependent rules, and limiting access to post-study work visas. This situation is exacerbated by funding cuts in these countries’ higher education sectors, which reduce their attractiveness to international students (e.g., fewer scholarships, less vibrant research and study environment). The rise of Sinophobia in some of these destination countries, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, has also led to safety and security concerns on the part of prospective Chinese students and their families.

Read the full story: https://fulcrum.sg/why-students-from-china-are-picking-malaysia-over-traditional-destinations/