A study on factors that influence choice of Malaysian institution of higher learning for international graduate students

The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence the choice of institution for international graduate students. This research has looked at the pulling factors which influences international student choosing to study in Malaysia in terms of environments, emotional support, finances, academic qualities, location and culture. The population with 344 respondents chosen for this exercise comes from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The research instrument utilized in this research was a questionnaire and the results obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation methods. The results from of this study reveal that factors that influence choice of institution are emotional support, environment quality, finance and culture. The study recommends how Malaysia can chart its way to become the education hub in the Asian region as an alternative to the traditional education destinations like the UK and the US