Factors determining the demand of international students for higher education in Malaysia: some preliminary results

Abstract

Malaysia has recognized the potential contribution of private institutes of higher education (IHE) towards economic growth and thus has aimed not only to be a regional center for higher education but also to be a global education hub by 20I0. The government has set an ambitious target of I00,000 foreign students by that year. With these developments in cross border education in Malaysia, there is an urgent need to gather data relating to higher education to guide the planning and policy-formulation. Given the interest of the government to export education and to promote Malaysian higher education abroad, it is important to explore the factors determining the demand of international students for Malaysian higher education and to identify the challenges in providing this demand so that they can be managed in order to ensure that foreign students return home with a favorable education experience in the country as well as with greater knowledge and appreciation of the country .