About Malaysia
The Federation of Malaysia comprises of Peninsular Malaysia, and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo and Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia.
Malaysia is a multiracial country with a population of 28.3 million. Malays comprise 57% of the population, while the Chinese, Indian and Bumiputeras and other races make up the rest of the country's population.
The country is 8 hours ahead of the GMT and 16 hours ahead of the US Pacific Standard Time. The climate is warm and humid throughout the year.
The official religion of Malaysia is Islam but other religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism and other religions are practiced freely by the people.
Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is the national language of the country and is spoken by all Malaysians. Chinese, Tamil and other languages are also spoken among the people. English is widely spoken by most of the people in cities and big towns.
Why Studying in Malaysia
• An international standard and high quality education, which is closely monitored by the Malaysian Education Ministries through their quality control authorities and appropriate legislation such as The Education Act, 1996, The Private Higher Educational Institutions Act, 1996 and The Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act 2007.
• Competitive course fees and an extensive selection of popular courses.
• A wide range of study options and universities and colleges to choose from.
• Twinning degrees & 3+0 degree programmes conducted in Malaysia, which offer a cost-effective route for quality education and qualifications from universities in the United Kingdom, USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France.
• Foreign Branch Campus Universities operating in Malaysia, which enable students to acquire their prestigious university qualifications in a country that has lower living expenses.
• Wide usage of English, which makes living and studying easy for students who are proficient in English while at the same time creating an environment for those who want to pick up the language.
• Life in a multicultural society, where Malaysians of different races and religions live in peace and tolerance with each other.
• The experience gained in providing education to the existing 50,000 international students from more than 100 countries, which testifies to the world-wide acceptance of Malaysia as a favoured destination for further study.
• Hassle-free immigration procedures, which enable foreign students to have easy entry into Malaysian higher educational institutions.
• Affordable living expenses, which can be as low as RM12,000.00 (USD3,750) per year.
• Student-friendly laws, which allow international students to work part-time for a maximum of 20 hours per week, while studying full time in Malaysia (subject to immigration requirements).
• An economically sound and socially safe country, which has a stable government and a low serious crime rate.
• A geographically safe environment, with Malaysia situated in a zone free from most natural disasters.
• A food paradise which has a huge variety of cuisines available including vegetarian, halal, ethnic and western.
• An excellent transportation system, which allows for easy mobility and a huge variety of interesting places to visit for relaxation.
Source: Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (www.mohe.gov.my)
Date: 13 November 2011
