Higher Educational Institutions in Malaysia

Higher education in Malaysia are provided by these institutions:

• Public-funded institutions of higher learning such as public universities, polytechnics, community colleges and teacher education institutes.
• Private higher educational institutions such as private universities, private university colleges, private colleges and foreign branch campuses.

Below explains the type of institutions available:

• Public Universities: Fully funded government universities.
• Polytechnics: Train school leavers in technical fields and junior/middle executive skills.
• Community Colleges: For SPM school leavers to train, reskill, or upskill.
• Teacher Training Colleges: Produce teachers under the Ministry of Education.
• Technical & Vocational Education: Focus on practical hands-on skills.
• Private Universities & Colleges: Privately owned, award degrees, often with partner universities.
• Foreign University Branch Campuses: Offer identical degrees to the main campus overseas.
• Private Colleges: Known for twinning programs and 3+0 degree pathways.

For more information, please refer to the following link:

Higher Education Courses of Study

Higher Education courses of study in the Malaysian context covers Certificate, Diploma, undergraduate levels as well as postgraduate studies. Undergraduate studies consist of Bachelor's Degree levels and professional qualification while the postgraduate studies consist of the Master's Degree and Ph.D levels. Higher education at Certificate and Diploma levels are for students from the age of 17 with SPM (which is equivalent to GCSE 'O' level) while the Bachelor's degree level is usually for students from the age of 19/20 onwards with post-secondary qualifications such as the STPM (which is equivalent to GCE 'A' level) or Pre-University / University Foundation qualifications. These degree programmes normally take between 3 to 5 years. After obtaining their Bachelor's degree qualifications students can proceed further to do postgraduate studies.