PENANG, 4 September 2018 – International students who have enrolled at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) were thrilled and very happy with the peaceful and pleasant surroundings.

“I am very satisfied with the study environment at the Main Campus and also the Engineering Campus and I hope to be able to fully focus on my studies,” said Mohamad Tayfour Abdalla Mohammed, an international student from Sudan who plans to continue his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the Engineering Campus in Nibong Tebal.

Another international student, Kiara Anastasia Wimandriwa from Indonesia, said that it’s truly meaningful to be able to study at USM and she did not regret her decision to do so. Kiara Anastasia will pursue a Bachelor’s degree in the field of Industrial Technology at the Main Campus.

The choice to study at USM is also a wise decision, said Lyric Kyle Celedanio Martines, a Filipino who now lives in Dubai.

“I am deeply enthusiastic in Aerospace studies and there are not that many higher education institutions offering such studies in the country; after doing a bit of researching, it was found that this programme is offered at the School of Aerospace Engineering at the Engineering Campus.

“After seeing the engineering students and their achievements in the website and social media, I was prompted to choose USM,” added Lyric Kyle, who was accompanied by his mother during registration at USM.

Enrolment of international students at USM for the 2018/2019 academic session saw a 100% increase compared to the previous session. 

For this current session, 283 international students coming from 36 countries have registered at USM, compared to 141 students in the previous year. Students from China form the majority with 83 students, followed by Yemen (25), Indonesia (23) and Saudi Arabia (19).  

Other countries with students coming to USM included Egypt, Maldives, Canada, Brunei, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Thailand, Nigeria, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Syria, Jordan and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The country of origin has also increased in number, from 24 countries in the previous year to 36 currently.

The increase in the enrolment of international students is in line with the internationalisation agenda of USM, being the country’s sole university to be awarded the APEX (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) status.

In total, 4,615 candidates with STPM/Matriculations/Foundation/Diploma/Similar qualifications have been offered places to continue their studies at the three USM Campuses for the Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Full-Time) for this academic session.

The breakdown in the number of students for this session is: Main Campus - 3,221 students, Engineering Campus - 768 students and Health Campus - 626 students.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin