Malaysia’s growing appeal as a study destination for Kenyans

By Steve REMIE

Malaysia is steadily increasing its volume of international students, backed by careful government strategies. Kenyan students are particularly attracted to Malaysia, and a big number is increasing rapidly, according to education experts, Educare International.

Kenyan learners are now moving to Malaysia to obtain degrees, with undergraduate degrees remaining the most popular choices, but since 2019, there has been much more growth at the master’s and postgraduate levels, according to Ruzaimi Mohamad, the Malaysian High Commissioner to Kenya.

Malaysia has always been a favoured Asian study abroad destination. Its appeal among international students is based on factors such as: Highly ranked universities, including eight in the top 500 QS World University Rankings (2025).

Official figures show that indeed, application volumes are trending upward, in line with Malaysia’s official goal of attracting 250,000 international students by 2025.