Malaysia is the 11th most sought after country for higher learning education among international students. Malaysia now has 2% of international students across the world.

Until June 2011, the number of international students has exceeded 90,000 and the Ministry of Higher Education aims to hit 200,000 international students by 2020.

The major sought-after disciplines in Malaysia are Hospitality & Tourism, Health Services, Islamic Finance & Business, Advanced Engineering and Science and Innovation programmes.

To produce a high-income nation, the country needs the private sector to combine forces with the public sector in producing highly skilled human capital. Currently, access to higher learning education in Malaysia for cohorts between 17 to 23 years old was 40% and the percentage is expected to increase to 60% within five to a decade.