Affordable option: Malaysia emerges as new study destination

Average yearly tuition fee in Malaysia is $6000 compared to $22,000 and $14,000 in US and UK, respectively.

KARACHI:

Malaysia has fast emerged as a popular and affordable option for Pakistani students keen to pursue higher education.

Many students attended the Study Malaysia Education Exhibition, endorsed by the Malaysian High Commission. The exhibition displayed 13 best public and private higher educational institutes in Malaysia. Representatives from each Malaysian University were present to answer the queries and to explain the admission procedures to the students.

The exhibition’s organiser, Babar Bashir Ahmad, said Malaysia has emerged as one of the main educational markets in Pakistan due to its affordable tuition fees and easier immigration laws. Over 3,000 Pakistanis have chosen Malaysia as their study destination in the last three to four years, he said, adding that over 97,000 foreign students are presently studying there, while Malaysia’s target is to reach 100,000 foreign students.

Responding to another query, he said the average yearly tuition fee in Malaysia is $6,000 compared to $22,000 and $14,000 in the US and UK, respectively, while students’ average yearly cost of living in Malaysia is $4,000 against $13,000-$15,000 in the US and UK. Malaysia has 21 public-sector universities, five branch campuses of UK and Australian universities along with more than 33 private-sector universities and over 500 higher education institutes that provide a diverse range of courses in various areas of specialisations. Ahmad said the two-day exhibition opened in Islamabad on Tuesday. They will reach Lahore on February 20 and February 21. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2014.