Are Foreign Students Displacing Locals?

 

Kedah Education exco Prof Dr Naim Hilman Abdullah, revealed that five leading public universities in Malaysia have a foreign student enrolment of 21.3%—a figure that far exceeds the intake of Malaysian Chinese and Malaysian Indian students combined. 

Malaysian Chinese students constitute only 13.5%, while Malaysia Indian students make up an even smaller percentage in these universities, namely Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). 

Prof Naim Hilman, a former vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), further revealed that out of a total enrolment of 611,698 students across 20 public universities, 53,322 (8.72%) are foreign students. The intake of foreign students into public universities is unfair to local students.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Every year, many high-achieving Malaysian students are denied places in public universities or are unable to secure the courses of their choice. Some are left with no option but to enrol in private universities, burdened with hefty tuition fees. The so-called “alternative intake system”, which imposes tuition fees up to ten times higher than the subsidised UPU admissions route, offers little relief. While accepting foreign students is not wrong in principle, the current intake—more than 5,000 annually—is excessive and detrimental to locals. Something is gravely wrong with Malaysia’s higher education system. 

The racially skewed admissions system in public universities disadvantages Chinese and Indian students. While affirmative action can be acceptable, it must be fairly applied to all communities. To call the current racial system “merit-based” is not only misleading but also an insult to the intelligence of loyal Malaysian citizens. 

The displacement of local students by foreigners is best illustrated by the Malay proverb: “Kera di hutan disusui, tetapi anak di rumah kelaparan”(The monkey in the jungle is nursed while the child at home starves).  

The alternative for public universities to recruit foreign students is to expand their courses and faculty time creatively that reduces the “either or” scenario. Many public universities want foreigners not only for their fees but to improve their global rankings. All is well and good but not at the detriment of citizens of Malaysia who pay taxes! 

Reference:

Are foreign students displacing locals in public universities? Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy, Focus Malaysia, 16 September 2025