Figures from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education indicate that for a long period of time, Malaysia was the largest source of foreign students for its tertiary education institutions. In 2017, the number of Malaysian students studying there exceeded 17,000 before falling over consecutive years; in 2024, the number dropped to 9,686, hitting below 10,000 for the first time in nearly a decade.
Statistics from Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) show that back in 1999, only 454 Malaysian students were studying in China, by 2010, the number had risen to 3,885. The 2011 agreement between China and Malaysia to recognise each other’s higher education qualifications is a crucial turning point as the number of Malaysians studying in China surpassed 6,000 in 2012 and growth accelerated over the next few years.
While some observers attributed the surge of interest in an overseas education in China to the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) launched in 2013, a 2022 report published by ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute pointed to the 2011 mutual recognition of university degrees by both countries as the real turning point that encouraged more Malaysians to study in China.
Many Malaysian students and study agencies cited the cheaper tuition in mainland China universities and the broad coverage of scholarship awards as key financial considerations for studying there. In fact, a considerable number of such students are able to complete their studies in China with ‘nearly zero financial burden’.