PETALING JAYA: 27% of students at Malaysia’s five leading public universities are foreign nationals, says a Kedah exco member.
Dr Hain Hilman Abdullah said Higher Education Ministry data shows that out of about 180,000 students enrolled at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), some 38,000 or 27% are from abroad.
“These universities are funded by taxpayers and our professors are paid with public money. Yet 37% of those who benefit are not Malaysians,” he told the Kedah state assembly on Thursday (Aug 21).
The Jitra assemblyman said that while Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir previously stated that only 5% to 10% of university intakes are foreign students, the actual numbers in research universities are much higher.
“For UM, foreign students make up 24%, for USM 25%, UKM 20%, UPM 22%, and UTM 15%. These figures are far above what was claimed,” said the Kedah industry and investment, higher education, science, technology and innovation committee chairman,
He cited UKM’s Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Honours) programme, which offers 200 seats.
“Out of these, 90 seats or 45% were given to students from mainland China. We are not against China or foreign students. But this university was built through the struggle and sacrifice of our people, for the benefit of our children,” he added.
The former Universiti Utara Malaysia vice-chancellor also raised concerns about the mismatch between graduate output and job opportunities in Malaysia.
Hain Himan then said that about 1.9 million Malaysians are underemployed and another 500,000 are unemployed.
“This means 2.4 million Malaysians are either jobless or working in positions below their qualifications. If we continue allocating such a high percentage of places to foreigners, our own graduates will lose out,” he said.
Hain Himan then said that the issue should not be viewed through racial or political lenses but as a matter of national interest.
“This is not about Malay, Chinese or Indian. It is about the rights of Malaysians. We must safeguard higher education opportunities for our children while still balancing the need for internationalisation,” he added.
On Tuesday (August 19), Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the government must clarify its policy on foreign student intake into local public universities, especially at undergraduate level.
He added that the lack of a clear framework could risk limiting opportunities for Malaysian students, especially those from lower-income families.
"What is our actual policy? Are foreign students only for postgraduate studies, or also at the undergraduate level? If it is for degrees, what percentage of places are allocated to them?" he asked during the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Dr Wee, who is also the MCA president, cited an Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research study showing Malaysian student enrolment in public universities grew from 172,719 in 2018 to 191,450 in 2024, a 10.8% rise, while foreign enrolment nearly doubled from 10,003 to 19,731 in the same period.
Zambry then responded to Dr Wee, stating that the government continues to prioritise Malaysians, with no compromise on quotas allocated for local students in public universities.
MCA then urged Zambry to make full admissions data public, adding that foreign student intake must not come at the expense of local students.
