​A Snapshot of Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia



The higher education sector is responsible for the operation of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). The education sector has always enjoyed the highest national development budget which symbolises the commitment of the Malaysian government towards education.

Malaysia's HEIs (i.e. public universities, private higher educational institutions, polytechnics and community colleges) housed more than a million students in 2011, of which about 93,000 were international students from more than 100 countries. In contrast, there were about 89,686 Malaysian students (27,003 receiving sponsorship and 62,683 self-funded) who were studying overseas in 2011.

With a multi-ethnic population of about 28.3 million, Malaysia had 20 public universities, 53 private universities and six foreign university branch campuses; 403 active private colleges, 30 polytechnics and 73 public community colleges in 2011. These HEIs offer a wide range of tertiary qualifications at affordable prices.

There are also various HEIs from the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, France, and New Zealand which offer twinning and '3+0' degree programmes through partnerships with Malaysian private higher education institutions. At present, some world-class universities such as RMIT University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland have established their collaboration with the local PHEIs.

Five of the 20 public universities in Malaysia have been assigned research university status with additional funding for R&D and commercialisation of research. The remaining 15 public universities have been categorised as either comprehensive or focus universities. In the 2012 new year's speech, the Minister of Higher Education announced that five public universities have been given autonomy in administration, human resources, financial and academic management and student intake. They are Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. This move is aimed at encouraging excellence among local institutions of higher learning.

The quality of higher education is assured through the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) which undertakes the implementation of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework. MQA is also responsible for quality assurance and the accreditation of courses and other related functions, covering both public and private higher educational institutions.

Both the Universities and University Colleges Act and the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act are currently under review.



Governing Authority for Higher Education - MOHE



The higher education sector is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). The establishment of this ministry on 27 March 2004 was a result of the re-structuring of the Ministry of Education and marked an important part of history in Malaysia, particularly in the development and expansion of the higher education sector. The establishment of MOHE is in line with the vision of the government in making Malaysia a centre of educational excellence and internationalising Malaysian education.
MOHE is the governing authority for the Malaysian higher education sector. It oversees HEIs (both public universities and private higher educational institutions), community colleges, polytechnics and other government agencies involved in higher education activities such as the Malaysian Qualifications Agency, the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional – PTPTN), the Tunku Abdul Rahman Foundation (Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman) and others.

The internationalisation of the higher education sector is a high priority for MOHE. Efforts have been made to improve the world ranking of Malaysian universities; to have 150,000 international students by 2015; to create more 'Malaysian Chairs' at universities abroad; and to collaborate and cooperate with world-renowned universities on research and academic matters.



MOHE also aims to have 20 Research Excellent Centres which are of international standard by 2020. The nation has also targeted to achieve 100 researchers, scientists and engineers (RSE) per 100,000 workforce by the year 2020. The 10MP (2011-2015) sets to improve the quality of academic staff by increasing the number of academics with PhDs in public universities, with a target of 75 per cent in research universities and 60 per cent in other public universities. To achieve this target, the implementation of the MyBrain15 programme will be intensified to finance doctoral studies for the purpose of increasing the number of PhD holders to 18,000 by 2015.



Functions of MOHE

Some of MOHE's key functions include :
Determining policies and the direction of the higher education sector in order to build an excellent and outstanding nation that is rich in knowledge, culture and civilisation
Acting as a catalyst to develop the sector that enables the nation to compete in the era of globalisation
Dealing with the challenges of the present global economic scene, in line with the government's aspiration to produce adequate human resource with knowledge and high moral values (National Higher Education Strategic Plan and Vision 2020).
Structure of MOHE
MOHE comprises four departments / sectors :
The Department of Higher Education
The Department of Polytechnic Education
The Department Community College Education
The Management Sector
The Development Sector



The government will continue to create a friendly environment and invite more world-class foreign university branch campuses or faculties to be set up in Malaysia. Currently, there are six foreign universities with branch campuses in Malaysia. They are Monash University (Australia), The University of Nottingham (UK), Curtin University (Australia), Swinburne University of Technology (Australia), Newcastle University School of Medicine (UK) and University of Southampton (UK).

Other initiatives undertaken by HEIs include the establishment of Malaysian university branch campuses in other countries and increasing transnational education collaboration with overseas institutions. Malaysian higher education is also aggressively promoted in many parts of the world through road-shows.

 

Malaysia's first rating system, SETARA (Rating System for Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia) was implemented in 2009 to measure the performance of undergraduate teaching and learning in universities and university colleges in Malaysia. The SETARA result was measured using a six-tier category with Tier 6 identified as Outstanding and Tier 1 as Weak.

Subsequently, another rating system was introduced in 2011. My QUEST (Malaysian Quality Evaluation System for Private Colleges) was used to evaluate private colleges in Malaysia in terms of the quality of students, programmes, graduates, resources and governance. The MyQUEST rating categorised an institution as either excellent, good, or weak. The institutions would also receive a rating based on their level of achievement which ranged from 1 star (poor) to 6 stars (excellent).

These two rating systems serve as a reliable reference for students and parents in their selection of institutions and programmes of study offered by various HEIs.

 

 

​Providers of Higher Education

Both public and private education providers play equally important roles in the provision of higher education. Together, the public and private sectors provide abundant study options. HEIs offer programmes leading to the award of certificates, diplomas as well as postgraduate qualifications.

Higher education providers in Malaysia can be grouped into two major categories :

Public higher educational institutions (government funded), which consist of :
- Public universities
- Polytechnics
- Community colleges
Private higher educational institutions, which consist of :
- Private universities
- Private university-colleges
- Foreign university branch campuses
- Private colleges
Public Higher Educational Institutions
The government-funded (public) higher educational institutions under the Ministry of Higher Education consist of :
public universities which offer bachelor degrees and postgraduate programmes, with some offering programmes at diploma level and university foundation programmes
polytechnics and community colleges which offer certificate and diploma level programmes
public colleges which offer certificate and diploma level programmes

The qualifications awarded by all HEIs (both public and private) in Malaysia registered under laws related to Malaysian education are governed by the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF). The framework specifies that a programme is required to achieve the following minimum credits before an academic qualification can be awarded, e.g. certificate (60 credits), diploma (90 credits), bachelor degree (120 credits) and taught master degree (40 credits). Master degrees and PhD obtained by research do not have credit values.



​National Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education - MQA​
 

The national quality assurance agency of Malaysia is known as the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) which was established on 1 November 2007 under the Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007. Its key function is to quality assure all programmes and qualifications offered by higher education providers. MQA comes under the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education.

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Entry Requirements for Entry at Higher Education Level
 

The general requirements for pre-university studies, certificate, diploma and bachelor degree programmes at are :

University Foundation Programme SPM/GCSE 'O' Level with 5 credits, or its equivalent
Certificate Level SPM/GCSE 'O' Level with 1 credit, or its equivalent
Diploma Level SPM/GCSE 'O' Level with minimum 3 credits, or its equivalent
Year 1 Bachelor Degree STPM/GCE A-levels + English Proficiency or its equivalent.

 

Pls. click here to see the official ranking of Malaysia universities! For Discipline-Based Rating System, please click here!

Pls. click here to see the official ranking of Malaysia colleges!