Universiti Sains Malaysia Admission 2027: Deadlines, Requirements, Fees for International Students

Admission at a glance

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is a public research university whose main campus sits at Gelugor on Penang island. International undergraduates apply through USM's own POHON@USM portal using an International Channel designed for applicants with qualifications already recognised by USM, alongside the option of applying through Malaysia's centralised UPU system. The general English requirement is IELTS (or IELTS Online) 5.0, TOEFL iBT 40, or PTE Academic 47, with MUET 3.5, Cambridge English 154, or an English-medium school-leaving certificate accepted as alternatives; applicants who cannot meet the score can sit USM's own English placement test after arriving in Malaysia. A processing fee of RM 100 is charged per application, paid through USM's ePayment system. USM bills its international tuition per semester in US dollars rather than as an annual or whole-programme figure: most bachelor's degrees in the arts, social sciences, science and engineering run from about USD 1,560 to USD 2,800 a semester, while its professional Schools of Medical Sciences and Dental Sciences charge USD 13,750 and USD 11,250 a semester respectively, reflecting the longer, more resource-intensive nature of those programmes.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree

Completion of 12 years of formal education (A-Level, International Baccalaureate, AUSMAT or an equivalent recognised qualification), plus one of: IELTS (or IELTS Online) 5.0, TOEFL iBT 40, TOEFL Essentials Online 7.5, PTE Academic/Online 47, Cambridge English Advanced/Proficiency/Linguaskill Online 154, MUET Band 3.5, or ELS CIEP Level 107. Applicants from an English-medium school or country may be exempt from the test requirement, and applicants without a qualifying score can sit USM's own English placement test after arrival.

Postgraduate (master's and PhD)

A relevant bachelor's or master's degree with the CGPA the specific programme requires, plus the same range of accepted English tests; USM's postgraduate fee schedule separately lists mixed-mode, coursework and research-mode master's and doctoral programmes with their own duration and cost.

Full requirements and documents