Malaysia woos foreign students

Malaysia woos foreign students

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Malaysia, which is keen to promote its fast-growing higher education sector, has eased visa restrictions for foreign students planning to study at local colleges and universities, reports said yesterday.

The move is aimed at students from neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, China and India, who are drawn to Malaysian higher education centers which run twinning courses with established foreign universities.

Under the new ruling, foreign students need not pay an 8,000- ringgit (US$1,951) deposit for studying in Malaysia, while student visa applications will be speeded up.

The New Straits Times daily newspaper said there were 12,000 foreign students currently taking up mainly post-graduate degrees at Malaysia's 11 state-run universities and 250 private colleges.