Malaysia sets its sights on 500,000 international students – but where will they live?

Malaysia missed its target of 250,000 international students by 2025. Its new ambition is twice as high.

In February 2025, GSL News reported that Malaysia appeared on track to reach the 250,000 goal set in its 2015–2025 higher education blueprint; however, it fell short. Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) figures show 159,138 international students enrolled in Malaysian public and private institutions as at 31 December 2025, or 12.6% of total enrolment.

However, rather than scale back, the government has raised the bar. The Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026–2035, launched in January 2026, aims to make Malaysia a global education hub with 500,000 international students by 2035 – more than three times the latest official year‑end enrolment.

Applications up 17% in a year

Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) processed 95,522 new international student applications in 2025, up 17% from 81,992 in 2024. Applications have almost doubled since 2022, when EMGS recorded 51,677.

The growth is in full degrees. Degree‑level applications rose 25% to 46,752, while master’s applications grew 4% and PhD applications fell 7%.

China remains Malaysia’s largest source market; however, Chinese applications declined by 4% to 31,866 in 2025. EMGS chief executive Novie Tajuddin has attributed the dip to many leading universities reaching their international student quotas. Momentum has moved to South Asia (up 41%) and Central Asia (up 44%). Myanmar and Kazakhstan have entered the top 10, replacing Nigeria and Egypt from our 2025 table.

Table 1: Malaysia top 10 source countries for new applications, 2024–2025

Source: EMGS 2025 Annual Highlights

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