According to Education Malaysia, there was a massive spike in students from East Asia in 2023, with a total of 29,195 applications received last year, compared to 23,818 the year before.

A staggering 26,627 of them were from China, representing a noticeable increase on 2022 level, when there were 21,975 students from China studying in Malaysia.

In comparison, pre-pandemic, there were 14,142 applications from East Asia in 2019. Some 12,174 of these applicants were from China.

Jerry Czub, assistant vice president, client success and global advisory at Grok, said Chinese students have begun to lean toward Asian destinations when making their study abroad decisions in recent years.

“This growing desire to be closer to home manifested first with a soaring number of applications to institutions in Hong Kong and Singapore during the pandemic.

“It soon extended to those in Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand. The slowdown of the Chinese economy post-pandemic also cautioned more Chinese families to consider study-abroad options that are more cost-effective.”

Chinese students have begun to lean toward Asian destinations when making their study abroad decisions in recent years

Jerry Czub, Grok Global Advisory

According to Grok Global Advisory, and 2022 UNESCO data, China contributes over 37% of Malaysia’s inbound student body, while Indonesia, the second largest source market, contributes less than 10%. 

The Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia has been working towards positioning the country as an international higher education hub since 2012, making it an attractive destination for Asian students wanting to stay closer to home.

Although its initial goal of hitting 200,000 international students by 2020 fell through during the pandemic, the country is working towards hitting 250,000 by 2025.

There are 10 branch campuses in Malaysia, according to Education Malaysia.

According to Jagdish Singh, director, student recruitment and marketing at Nottingham University Malaysia, applications from China have seen a massive increase – 70% year on year, reflecting the growing interest in Malaysia.  

The university aims to enrol 1,400 students this year, 70% of whom are domestic and 10% of total new students are Chinese.

He added that Malaysia attracts middle-class students. “If you’re coming to Malaysia, you aren’t thinking about going to the UK. It’s so different in terms of the money you will spend, the experience and your options afterwards,” he said.

Czub also agreed that the students interested in the UK, Australia and North America will not consider Malaysia. “But the endless amounts of students with the finances to go anywhere is declining,” he added.

He said similar trends are seen in Thailand and Singapore, and even China, where many international brand campuses are considering setting up shop.  

The spike in interest in Malaysia for K12 education, as well as higher education,  is also evident when looking at the significant growth in student pass holder demand in Malaysia.

According to Sudeep Laad, managing director and partner at L.E.K, wealthy upper income families are still sending their children to Singapore, while those who can’t afford to do so are looking for good solutions closer to home.

He added that international schools in the country are seeing growth, especially from Chinese families.

Part of the reason why Malaysia is an attractive choice for many Asian families and students is the relatively affordable living costs, compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, as well as the level of English.

Additionally, there’s the added bonus of Chinese being widely spoken and Malaysia being very culturally diverse, with a lot of Malay Chinese in the society.

According to local media this week, international schools have seen applications from international students double this year. Several schools polled by Malay Mail reported an increase in applications from Chinese and Japanese students this year.

Stonnyhurst International School Penang and Prince of Wales Island International School both reported a significant rise in enrolments, along with schools in Kuala Lumpur.

Andrea Grassby, chief marketing officer at Alice Smith School in Kuala Lumpur, a British school, told The PIE News the expat population at the school has changed in the last decade.

There used to be a majority of British and Australian families, but now there are more Malaysian and Chinese. The school tries to balance out the diversity, which can be challenging, she said.

“With the shift in our expat population from Western to Asian, we’ve recognised the need to foster a more inclusive environment,” she said.

“We’ve implemented changes in our admissions process and classroom practices to better accommodate families from various cultural backgrounds, including those where English is not the first language.”

The surge in Chinese students heading to Malaysia and other Asian destinations has been attributed to the reopening of borders, but also the Chinese government’s restrictions on bilingual and international schools in the country.