Malaysia

At a glance

Who it suitsStudents who want an English-taught British or Australian degree without the British or Australian price, and a short flight home.

Tuition

RM52,000 a year for humanities at Nottingham Malaysia, RM57,000 for computer science, RM72,000 for pharmacy [2]

The fee is locked

Nottingham locks the fee at your entry year: join in 2026 and you pay the 2026 fee for the whole degree [2]

Tax on top

⚠️ A 6% sales and service tax applies to non-Malaysian citizens from 1 July 2025 [2]

Living costs

US$582 a month on the government's own estimate — about RM28,500 a year [3]

Work during study

20 hours a week, and ⚠️ the two official pages disagree about when: Education Malaysia says only in breaks over 7 days, Immigration says during the study period [5]

Stay and work after

The Graduate Pass is valid for 12 months after graduation and needs no employer sponsorship [6]

Which qualification leads where

• A-LevelGood route

  BBB is the minimum at Nottingham Malaysia; AAA, AAB and ABB earn scholarships of 25%, 20% and 15%. [4]

• IB DiplomaGood route

  30 points with 5,5,5 at Higher Level is the minimum; 36, 34 and 32 earn the three scholarship tiers. [4]

• AP and a US high-school diplomaGood route

  Priced in the scholarship table: 5,5,5 / 5,5,4 / 5,4,4, or a US diploma with a 4.0 GPA. [9]

• GaokaoGood route

  Accepted by name, and the scholarship table prices a Chinese senior high school diploma at 95%, 90% and 85%. [10]

• Chinese high-school diploma onlyPossible

  Foundation programmes exist and enter at a lower English bar — IELTS 6.0 rather than 6.5 — then feed the degree. [4]

English you need

IELTS

6.5 [4] Prepare for IELTS →

TOEFL iBT

4.5 [4] Prepare for TOEFL →

Nottingham Malaysia asks for IELTS 6.5 with nothing below 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 87. ⚠️ Those figures come from its 2020 course listing — the current English-requirements page has gone. Check the year before you rely on them.

Universities to look at

• University of Nottingham Malaysia Semenyih, Selangor

  Accepts You can transfer permanently to the UK or Ningbo campus — but you then pay that campus's fees, in its own currency. A 2+2 route exists and is the exception to the locked Malaysian fee.

  Tuition a year RM52,000 to RM75,000 a year, 2026 entry, plus 6% tax

  Admissions page → [2]

• Heriot-Watt University Malaysia Putrajaya

  Tuition a year RM49,046 to RM59,530 a year for international students, 2026/27

  Admissions page → [1]

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Choose the campus

• Decide between a British or Australian branch campus and a Malaysian university — the fee, the award and the transfer options all differ.
• Ask for a written fee schedule. Several large private universities do not publish their international fees on an open page, so a number from an agent is not a quote.
• If you might transfer to the home campus later, ask what that costs before you enrol — you switch to that campus's fees in its own currency. [11]

Apply

• Sit IELTS or TOEFL: the degree bar at Nottingham Malaysia is IELTS 6.5 with nothing below 6.0, and foundation entry is 6.0. [4]
• Apply by 31 July for a September start — and earlier if you can, because the visa takes up to two months. [7]
• Check the High Achiever's Scholarship table against your grades: it is worth 25%, 20% or 15% of the tuition. [9]

Student pass

• Your university applies to Education Malaysia Global Services for you; budget RM1,600 for the new student processing fee and RM150 for the entry approval. [13]
• Budget for the medical screening (RM250), annual insurance (from RM458), the i-Kad (RM50) and the pass sticker (RM60), plus 8% service tax on the processing fees. [13]

After you arrive

• Read the part-time work rules before you take a job: applications go through your university and need Immigration's prior approval, and cashier roles are not permitted. [5]
• Apply for the Graduate Pass before your student pass runs out if you want the 12 months after graduation. [6]

Sep 2026 Sep 2027

1. Sep 2026 12 months before passed

   Shortlist campuses and ask each one for a written fee schedule.

2. Dec 2026 9 months before

   Sit IELTS or TOEFL. [4]

3. Mar 2027 6 months before

   Apply, and apply early — the visa can take two months. [12]

4. Jun 2027 3 months before

   Accept the offer; the university starts your student-pass application with EMGS. [13]

5. Jul 2027 2 months before

   Apply by 31 July for the September intake if you have not already. [7]

6. Sep 2027 At the start

   Arrive for induction — 23 to 26 September in 2026 at Nottingham Malaysia. [7]

A year

¥130,000 – ¥170,000

Whole degree

¥380,000 – ¥510,000 over 3 years

Converted to RMB at two significant figures — the rate moves and the ranges are wide. Rate: European Central Bank: euro foreign exchange reference rates, 18 September 2026, checked 2026-09-19.

Tuition

RM49,046 to RM75,000 a year across the two campuses whose fee pages publish a figure [1]

Sales and service tax

6% on top of the tuition for non-Malaysian citizens, since 1 July 2025 [2]

Living costs

The government publishes US$582 a month, not a ringgit figure. That is about RM28,500 a year at the exchange rate this section uses — a converted number, not a published one [3]

Student pass, first year

RM1,600 processing, RM150 entry approval, RM250 medical, from RM458 insurance, RM50 i-Kad, RM60 sticker — plus 8% service tax on the processing fees [13]

Graduate Pass

RM900 processing and a RM600 sticker [13]

Scholarships and funding

• Nottingham Malaysia High Achiever's Scholarship [9]

  25%, 20% or 15% off the tuition, for the whole degree.

  Awarded on your qualification: A-Level AAA / AAB / ABB, IB 36 / 34 / 32, AP 5,5,5 / 5,5,4 / 5,4,4, or a Chinese senior high school diploma at 95% / 90% / 85%. Engineering departments additionally require mathematics and physics. The university can amend the terms without notice.

Visa

• The student pass is applied for by your university through Education Malaysia Global Services, not by you directly. [13]
• Apply early: Nottingham Malaysia warns that the visa can take up to two months. [12]
• The processing and entry-approval fees carry 8% service tax on top of the quoted amounts. [13]

Work during and after studies

• ⚠️ The two official sources do not agree. Education Malaysia says 20 hours a week ONLY during semester breaks or holidays of more than 7 days; the Immigration Department says 20 hours a week during the study period, at approved locations. Plan on the restrictive reading. [5]
• Permitted: restaurants, petrol kiosks, mini markets and hotels. Not permitted: cashier work, and in hotels singer, masseur, musician or guest relations roles. [5]
• Applications go through your university and need the Immigration Department's prior approval. Breaking the rules gets the student pass revoked. [5]
• After graduating, the Graduate Pass gives you 12 months to travel and work in permitted sectors, with no employer sponsorship and with dependants allowed to join you. [6]

When you arrive

• Collect your i-Kad — it is the identity card that proves your student pass. [13]
• Induction at Nottingham Malaysia ran 23 to 26 September in 2026. [7]

Common mistakes

• The advertised fee is not the fee. A 6% sales and service tax is added for non-Malaysians, and the student pass adds about RM2,250 in its first year before insurance, or over RM2,700 with it. [2]
• Several large private universities do not publish an international fee page you can open. Treat any figure from an agent or a ranking site as unverified until the university puts it in writing.
• Transferring to the home campus is real, but it is not a discount: you move onto that campus's fees, in its own currency. [11]
• No official page we could read states that the award is identical to the home campus's. Ask the university for that in writing rather than trusting a marketing claim.

Sources

1. Heriot-Watt University Malaysia: tuition fees checked 2026-09-19
2. University of Nottingham Malaysia: tuition fees checked 2026-09-19
3. Education Malaysia Global Services: cost of living checked 2026-09-19
4. Nottingham Malaysia: undergraduate course listing (2020) checked 2026-09-19
5. Education Malaysia Global Services: student FAQ checked 2026-09-19
6. Education Malaysia Global Services: the Graduate Pass checked 2026-09-19
7. Nottingham Malaysia: when to apply checked 2026-09-19
8. Malaysian Immigration Department: student pass checked 2026-09-19
9. Nottingham Malaysia: High Achiever's Scholarship qualifications checked 2026-09-19
10. Nottingham Malaysia: information for international applicants checked 2026-09-19
11. Nottingham Malaysia: exchange and transfer programmes checked 2026-09-19
12. Nottingham Malaysia: how to apply checked 2026-09-19
13. Education Malaysia Global Services: schedule of fees checked 2026-09-19
14. Nottingham Malaysia: scholarships and financial assistance checked 2026-09-19

Rules and fees change. Everything here was checked against the official pages on the date shown. Confirm on those pages before you apply or pay.