Cost of Studying in Malaysia for International Students (2027)

EMGS's own budgeting page for prospective students puts an international bachelor's degree at roughly USD 2,500 to 5,000 a year at a public university and roughly USD 6,000 to 9,500 a year at a private university, before medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and similar professional programmes, which cost several times more at any type of institution. Universities usually publish their own fee schedules as a total cost for the whole programme rather than a clean annual figure, so always check whether a quoted number covers one year or the full degree.

On top of tuition, EMGS's own fee calculator (visa.educationmalaysia.gov.my) lists the visa-related costs charged to a new international student: an EMGS processing fee of roughly RM 1,728 for a new application to a public or most private universities (plus an 8 percent service tax on processing fees from 1 March 2024), a Student Pass fee of RM 60 a year, an eVAL fee of RM 159, a mandatory post-arrival medical screening of about RM 340 (RM 350 in Sarawak), an i-Kad (immigration card) fee of RM 50 to RM 60.60, and mandatory locally purchased medical insurance running from roughly RM 498 to RM 644 a year depending on the plan chosen. Multiple entry visa fees, where they apply, range from about RM 6 to RM 50 depending on nationality.

EMGS also publishes day to day cost guidance rather than one fixed monthly figure: on-campus accommodation from about USD 50 to 150 a month, off-campus accommodation from about USD 100 to 300 a month, meals from as little as USD 1 to 3 at hawker stalls and coffee shops up to USD 5 to 10 at a mid-range restaurant, and utilities (electricity, water, internet and a mobile plan combined) of roughly USD 40 to 65 a month. This project leaves a single living-cost figure unset rather than compute one, since EMGS does not publish a combined monthly total drawn from its own data; treat the component ranges above as the working budget.