PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian students remain the priority in university admissions, says Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman.
The Higher Education director-general said the Ministry is committed to providing placements for local students, ensuring that they continue to be given priority in the country's higher education sector.
“Priority remains given to local students, especially at the undergraduate level with a composition of 91.6 percent local students and 8.4 percent international students at the five research universities," she said during a special press conference to address the issue of internationalisation in higher education on Wednesday (Sept 17).
She also said that as of Dec 31, 2024, five research universities — Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) — had a total enrolment of 180,024 students.
“Of this number, 141,636 students or 78.7% are locals, while 38,388 students or 21.3% are international students.
“The 21.3% comprises both undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments,” she said.
Azlinda said that undergraduate and postgraduate data cannot be combined as both levels serve different purposes.
“At the undergraduate level, international students make up just 8.4%, compared to 91.6% locals.
“Government subsidies are provided only for Malaysian undergraduates, while international students' fees are paid in full without any assistance.
“For postgraduate programmes, admissions are open without restrictions because it has a positive impact on the university's ranking,“ she said.
On Sept 15, Kedah education committee chairman Prof Dr Hilman Abdullah claimed that international students accounted for 21.3% of enrolment at the country’s five leading research universities — UM, UTM, UKM, USM and UPM, a figure he said was higher than the proportion of local Chinese students, which stood at 13.5%.
Azlinda said the claim was unjustified, noting that the assemblyman, who had previously served as a public university vice-chancellor, had also supported the recruitment of international students in line with the country’s higher education internationalisation policy.
"He himself, when he was vice-chancellor, agreed to and implemented the policy of recruiting international students as stated in the Malaysian Higher Education Development Plan 2015-2025.
"Therefore, it is not appropriate to create the perception that local students are being marginalised.
"We want the public to understand the real data so that there are no misunderstandings," she said.
