The government is making efforts to achieve 250,000 international students in Malaysia by the year 2025.

Attracting students from abroad can prove to be more challenging for institutions as campus visits cannot be arranged, and most communication must be done online.

What can institutions do to bring in better quality international students?

1. Informative and user-friendly website content

A student’s first impression of an institution is from their first experience with the website. It is the gateway to knowing everything there is to know about the institution, from its programmes offered to financial aid options and facilities.

A user-friendly website that helps guide students to certain areas of the institution can definitely pique their interest and entice them to learn more about it.

Virtual campus tours allow students to visualise what it would be like on the campus and give them a feel of the campus’ facilities.

These are becoming increasingly common on institution websites.

On top of that, managing and updating an institution’s website content is easy and does not cost much at all.

The website will be available at all times, so students are able to learn about the institution at any time of the day as opposed to visiting the campus physically.

2. Prominent partners worldwide

Engaging with leading organisations and partners worldwide can also help institutions get recognised internationally and attract students aboard.

Professor Datuk Seri Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali, Vice-Chancellor of UKM says that one of the effective ways to reach quality students is for the institution to engage with prominent partners worldwide that can provide funding as well as opportunities that will attract excellent students.

UKM’s partnership with the World Bank in the form of the UKM-World Bank Research Intern Pilot Program demonstrates how an institution can boost its profile and elevate its reputation to the advantage of its students.

3. Mobility and exchange programmes

Student exchange and transfer programmes can be very beneficial as they allow students to get a feel of the institution and decide whether they are comfortable in a “foreign” environment.

Hence, institutions that offer various options of exchange programmes will certainly attract more quality international students.

Besides providing students with international learning and knowledge within different cultural and community perspectives, there are personal benefits such as self-development and confidence that can only be achieved by adapting yourself in a foreign setting.

This is often the most noticeable change in exchange students who return to their homeland.

The experience gained in exchange programmes are also favourably looked upon by prospective employers when deciding to hire new graduates, as they are usually regarded as being able to adapt and be responsible in making certain decisions.

4. Collaborate with institutions abroad

Along with mobility programmes, institutions that collaborate with universities abroad will also be more appealing to international students.

Some universities offer short-term programmes that run between one week and three months.

While these may be academic or non-academic programmes, they give students the opportunity to learn much about the lifestyle aspect of the country in collaboration, as the programmes are typically geared towards the appreciation of arts, culture and heritage.

Such programmes can attract students from all over the world, from Europe to the Asia-Pacific region, and add to the cultural diversity of our international student community.

The goal to attract more international students to study in Malaysia can be achieved through a collective effort by all parties; the government in terms of policy changes, and institutions in making themselves known to the international market.

Higher education can then not only be a contributor to the country’s economic growth, but also be a bridge for Malaysia to communicate and connect with the rest of the world.

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