How Malaysians Can Study at Overseas Universities in the UK, Australia, USA or Canada? Best advise & information on courses at Malaysia’s top private universities and colleges EduSpiral Consultant Services

Education Pathway to Guide Malaysian Students on How to Study Abroad

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Malaysian students have always been eager to study abroad. Ministry of Higher Education data shows that in 2019, over 70,000 Malaysian students were studying abroad. Most of them were in the UK and Ireland, followed by Taiwan, Australia, Egypt and Indonesia. Other popular destinations include New Zealand and Japan.

Overseas degrees are not cheap, though. Parents often have to save up for many years to pay for their children’s tuition fees, living expenses and other costs. They also need to take into consideration fluctuating foreign exchange rates that could affect their savings.

Students after SPM or IGCSE/O-Levels in Malaysia planning to study overseas in UK, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Japan or Korea would need to choose the relevant Pre-University programme that would be recognised and accepted by the universities in these countries. Studying partly in Malaysia first would save you a lot of money in terms of tuition fees and cost of living. To study overseas, it will cost you about RM200,000 a year including cost of living. Students interested to study overseas need to plan carefully which course to take in Malaysia and which country they intend to go to, so that you don’t waste any resources. If you choose the wrong course in Malaysia, you may not be able to enter the university or course that you want overseas.

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With so many Courses in Malaysia, how do you choose the Right Programme to Study Overseas?

There are basically 5 pathways after SPM or O-Levels before going overseas for your degree course. They are:

External Pre-University Programmes

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Khalil, South Australian Matriculation (SAM) at Taylors College

For students who are sure that they want to pursue their degree programme overseas, you may go for the External Pre-University Programmes such as the A-Levels, South Australian Matriculation or SACEi, AUSMAT, CIMP, etc.

A Pre-University Programme is a “transition” course between secondary school and university degree studies. The Pre-University Programme is general and equips students with the knowledge and skills to handle the rigours of an undergraduate programme.

Choosing the right Pre-University Programme is an important step after SPM or O-Levels. The best Pre-University Programme is the one that matches your learning style, budget, academic & career goals, and soft skills. There are a number of different Pre-University programmes in Malaysia that’s available to you.

You should find out more about various pre-university programmes are available at top private colleges & universities before making your decision. You need to understand yourself, your learning style, career goals, academic goals and capabilities in order to decide which Pre-University course would best suit you.

Choosing the right Pre-University Programme will help you enter your university of choice to study the degree course that you want.

Degree Transfer (1+2, 1.5+1.5 or 2+1) in Malaysia

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A Degree Transfer means that after completing 1 or 2 years of study, the student will have to submit the transcripts, course outline, syllabus and high school certificates to the university overseas for evaluation for exemptions. The university overseas will take some time to go through and then inform you which subjects have been exempted . You may have to take extra subjects.

In a Degree Transfer Programme, you are not limited to the partner university and you have the choice to transfer to a few universities overseas. Some of the Twinning Programme partner universities’ rankings may not be appealing to you so you can try to transfer your credits to higher ranking universities.

Degree Transfer (1+2, 1.5+1.5 or 2+1) in Malaysia

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Kenneth, Interior Design at Taylor’s University

Twinning programmes at private universities allow students to study a part of their studies in Malaysia, and then transfer to a university in another country such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand or Canada to complete their degree programme.

In the Twinning programmes, the private university’s degree course would have been assessed and the subjects mapped out by their overseas partner university for a guaranteed transfer as long as they meet the minimum requirements. The credits a student accumulates at the private university in Malaysia can be transferred, so they can pick up where they left off when they study abroad.

This is different from a Transfer Programme where the subjects haven’t been evaluated by the overseas university hence the subjects that you have taken may or may not be accepted for transfer.

Twinning programmes are also known as “2+1”, “1.5+1.5” or “1+2”, where the first number refers to the time spent in Malaysia while the second number is for time spent overseas. For example, a 2+1 means that you will spend 2 years in Malaysia and the final year overseas.

American Degree Transfer Programme (ADTP)

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With at least 5 credits, students after SPM from Malaysia can enter the American Degree Transfer Program in Malaysia at top private colleges & universities. Students after SPM or O-Levels will enter directly into Year 1 of the degree program for a total of 4 years. The American education system does not require Pre-University to enter into the degree programme after SPM or O-Levels. The American Degree system after SPM or O-Levels is Year 1 (Freshman), Year 2 (Sophomore), Year 3 (Junior) and finally Year 4 (Senior).

After SPM, students will enter into the American Degree Programme for 2 years before transferring their credits to a university of their choice in the USA for the final 2 years. Students will need at least 5 credits in SPM to enter the ADP. There is no “Foundation or Pre-U” in the USA education system. Students after high school will enter directly into 4 years of degree studies. Students complete (on average) two years in the ADP and the remaining two years at universities in the United States.

Students will take about 40 subjects (110 – 140 credit hours) in total during their four years of studies, where 20 subjects (60 credit hours) are completed at ADP and the rest are completed in the USA. Students will normally take about 4-5 subjects each semester. Since the total duration to obtain a USA degree is four years, students spend about two years in Malaysia and the other two years in the USA.

Students are assessed through exams, coursework, assignments, presentations, quizzes and research papers. The percentage of exams and assignments varies depending on the subject you are taking.

Diploma Pathway

After completing your diploma at a private university, you may consider going overseas to complete your degree. You will have to submit the transcripts, course outline, syllabus and high school certificates to the university overseas for evaluation for exemptions. The university overseas will take some time to go through and then inform you which subjects have been exempted . You may have to take extra subjects.

Generally, after a 2-year diploma, you will take 1.5 to 2 years to complete your degree overseas depending on the exemptions given.

Average Tuition Fees and Cost of Living for Studying Abroad for Malaysian Students

Country	Annual Tuition Fees	Annual Cost of Living
Australia	AUD 20,000 to AUD 33,000	AUD 20,290
Singapore	SGD 8,000 to SGD 10,000	SGD 12,000 to SGD 24,000
United States	USD $20,000 – $40,000	USD $10,000 – $24,000
United Kingdom	£10,000 to £18,000	£5,500 and £8,000
South Korea	4,700,000-15,000,000₩	15,120,000₩
Canada	C$12,000 to C$25,000	C$20,000 to C$30,000