KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian universities continue to draw thousands of foreign students each year, with Chinese nationals leading the pack.

Data from Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) obtained by Malay Mail shows 29,388 students from China enrolled in public and private universities from January to November 30 this year, far ahead of Bangladesh (8,957) and India (3,410).

EMGS chief Novie Tajuddin said the slight dip from China – a 3 per cent decline from last year – is due to many top universities in Malaysia hitting their quota for international students, a move designed to maintain quality and balance campus resources.

“As a result, they are unable to admit additional foreign students until enough current international students complete their studies and graduate.

“This restriction forms part of the enrolment governance framework to ensure balanced capacity, quality assurance, and proper resource allocation within the institutions,” he told Malay Mail.

The interest from Chinese nationals has been noticeably rising in recent years.

In 2020, Malaysian universities received 8,876 applications from China, which nearly doubled the following year to 19,202 and continued to rise in 2023 with 26,627 applications.

Bangladesh nationals have also shown significant growth in student numbers, with a 47 per cent increase in enrolments, reaching 8,957 this year from 6,103 last year.

Additionally, enrolments from India have increased by 41 per cent to 3,410 from 2,423 last year.

Overall, EMGS data indicates a 6 per cent rise in total enrolments this year, climbing from 81,992 to 87,206.