Higher Education in Malaysia  >  Universities in Malaysia  >  Public Universities

Public Universities

Malaysia offers a robust higher education system, with government universities providing diverse academic opportunities across multiple disciplines. These institutions, often referred to as public universities, are funded and regulated by the Malaysian government, ensuring high academic standards and accessibility for local students.

Malaysia has several prominent government universities, including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). These universities consistently rank highly in global academic rankings, providing students with world-class education and research opportunities.

A key advantage of studying in Malaysian government universities is affordability. Tuition fees are significantly lower compared to international universities, and financial aid schemes, scholarships, and grants are available for both local and international students. Government scholarships such as the Malaysian International Scholarship (MIS) and sponsorship programs from organizations like MARA and JPA assist students financially.

Public universities in Malaysia cater to a wide array of fields, including engineering, medicine, business, social sciences, and technology. They also emphasize research, with institutions like UM and UKM hosting advanced research centers in various fields. Additionally, Malaysia’s universities maintain strong industry collaborations, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for the job market.

Malaysia's education system also welcomes international students, offering programs taught in English and a multicultural learning environment. The government actively promotes student exchange programs and partnerships with foreign universities, allowing Malaysian students to experience international exposure while maintaining affordable education.

With excellent facilities, dedicated faculty, and a strategic location in Asia, Malaysia’s government universities provide a pathway to quality higher education at a fraction of the cost of studying abroad. Whether pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate studies, students can benefit from the country’s commitment to academic excellence and innovation.

Here is a list of all the 20 Malaysian Government Universities with a  search box to search for key information.

Malaysian Government Universities (public universities) are categorized into three groups:
A- Research Universities
B- Focussed Universities
C- Comprehensive Universities

There are 20 Public Universities (Government Universities) comprising 5 research universities, 4 comprehensive universities, and 11 focussed universities.
 

Funding of Public Universities (2007)
90% of the public universities' funding came from Malaysian Government and the balance 10% is from student fees.

 A total of 85,247 students registered for the new varsity intake at local Malaysia’s public universities for the 2012/2013 academic session.


The number included 46,698 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia school leavers and the other 38,549 with Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia qualifications or its equivalent.


Public universities (Government's Universities) produce graduates who can acquire and apply their knowledge for the benefit of the Malaysian society.
No every interested student could gain an entry into these institutions because the places for first degree programmes are limited.
The Ministry of Higher Education thus placed hope on private higher educational institutions to complement and supplement the mission.

More students in Malaysia can obtain degree level education now because of private higher educational institutions (PHEIs). Many of these institutions offer twinning degree programmes or full 3+0 and 4+0 degree programmes in collaboration with overseas universities from countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Thus, Malaysian and foreign students have a wide choice of higher education institutions and programmes.
Foreign university branch campuses have played a significant role in meeting the demand by Malaysian for Bachelor's degree programmes.
DATA SOURCES : Ministry of Education MoE, Ministry of Higher Education MoHE

There are 20 Public Universities in Malaysia
Public Universities in Malaysia are funded by the Government and are governed as self-managed institutions come under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971.

As in 2016, Malaysia has :
 

1) 414 Private colleges
2) 37 Private universities
3) 10 Private University-colleges
4) 1 Public University-college
5) 10 Foreign branch campus
6) 20 Public universities

APPLYING FOR A PROGRAMME IN A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
(University of Malaysian Government)
All applications to study in public universities are centrally processed (except postgraduate studies) by the centralized processing agency known as :
Bahagitan Pengurusan Kemasukan Pelajar (BPKP)
The Division of Student Admission
(formerly known as Unit Pusat Universtti, UPU).
BPKP processes applications from students with SPM, STPM, STAM, diploma or matriculation qualifications. The agency is under The Department of Higher Education (Jabalan Pengajian Tinggi) of the Ministry of Higher Education and is responsible for the management of the admission of students into the 20 public universities.
The main function of BPKP (formally UPU) is to process and coordinate the intake of Malaysian students into local public universities for the following programmes of study:
• Programmes after SPM
• Programmes for Government recognized Diploma Holders
• Programmes after Matriculation programmes
• Programmes after STAM
• Programmes after STPM
• Master's degree programmes in medicine
Remarks : At postgraduate studies level, BPKP only processes the intake for Master's degree progremme in medicine and not for other postgraduate courses)
The intake into the public universities through this centralized agency is in July each year.
BPKP is not involved in managing the intake of the following categories of students into public universities and as such these groups of students are required to contact the individual public universities directly. The students involved here are:
• foreign students
• students who undertake programmes conducted via the Distance Learning Education mode or programmes being offered at Certificate level
• students of franchised programmes conducted at private higher educational institutions
Application Procedures
The 'BPKP IPT' or 'UPU' application forms are made available to:
• STPM / STAM qualification holders in January of intake year
• SPM qualification holders in February of the intake year
• Matriculation qualification holders in November prior to the intake year
• Diploma qualification holders in November / December prior to the intake year
All post-secondary school leaver applications for Bachelor's degree programmes must be mode online while application for Diploma level programmes can either be made through printed application form or online v;o the website of the Ministry of Higher Education at www.mohe.gov.my. The forms, however, must be submitted within 10 days from the date of the release of the examination result, usually in the month of March. Applicants will usually be notified of their applications' statu., in the month of May. There is only one intake a year and is usually in the middle of the year.

 

Year 2006 Students enrolment in Government's Higher Education Institution

Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) Ministry Of Higher Education Malaysia for Foreign Students

The Malaysia International Scholarship (MIS) is an initiative by the Malaysian Government to attract the best minds from around the world to pursue advanced academic studies in Malaysia. This scholarship aims to support The Malaysian Government's effort to attract, motivate and retain talented human capital from abroad.

Talented international students with excellent academic records and outstanding co-curricular backgrounds are welcome to apply for this scholarship and further their studies in any selected and well-established Malaysian public and private universities.

This scholarship is divided into two categories:

Postgraduate
Post-doctoral Studies

More about : Education Funding in Malaysia

Applications to study in public universities
for Malaysian Students completed SPM and STPM

Entry Qualifications to a Public University in Malaysia
The general entry requirement :
1) for Diploma level is SPM qualification
2) for undergraduate studies is STPM or equivalent qualifications such as Matriculation certificate of Ministry of Education, STAM and Diplomas which are recognized by the government.

Applicants (Malaysians or non-Malaysians) must fulfill the standard requirements as well as specific conditions like subject requirement, interview and others set by the respective public universities before they can be accepted by the public universities.
 

SPM = Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia
STPM = Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia
STAM = Sijil Tinggi Agarma Malaysia

馬來西亞公立大學

1 馬來亞大學(UM) www.um.edu.my
Universiti Malaya

2 馬來西亞理科大學(USM) www.usm.my
Universiti Sains Malaysia

3 馬來西亞國民大學(UKM) www.ukm.my
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

4 馬來西亞博特拉大學(UPM) www.upm.edu.my
Universiti Putra Malaysia

5 馬來西亞工藝大學(UTM) www.utm.my
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

6 馬來西亞北方大學(UUM) www.uum.edu.my
Universiti Utara Malaysia

7 馬來西亞砂勞越大學(UNIMAS) www.unimas.my
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

8 馬來西亞沙巴大學(UMS) www.ums.edu.my
Universiti Malaysia Sabah

9 蘇丹依德利斯師範大學(UPSI) www.upsi.edu.my
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

10 瑪拉工藝大學(UiTM) www.uitm.edu.my
Universiti Teknologi MARA

11 馬來西亞回教大學學院(KUIM) www.kuim.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia

12 馬來西亞科藝大學學院(KUSTEM) www.kustem.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Sains & Teknologi Malaysia

13 敦胡先翁工藝大學學院(KUiTTHO) www.kuittho.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn

14 馬來西亞國民技術大學學院(KUTKM) www.kutkm.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Teknikal Kebangsaan Malaysia

15 馬來西亞工程與工藝大學學院(KUKTEM) www.kuktem.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan & Teknologi Malaysia

16 馬來西亞北方工程大學學院(KUKUM) www.kukum.edu.my
Kolej Universiti Kejuruteraan Utara Malaysia

RELATED  TOPICS

Maktab Perguruan Tawau
(Tawau Teacher's Training College)

Tawau Teacher's Training College had supplemented the aspiration of the Sabah Government for more higher learning institutions to be set up in this region, thereby giving local youths a wide choice in their pursuit for educational excellence.

Government Nurses Training Colleges

Malaysia has 35 private nursing colleges and 43 public (Government) nursing institutions.

Education in Malaysia