Sussex has established a regional hub in Kuala Lumpur as part of £1 million growth in South East Asia

The University of Sussex is to invest £1 million over five years to fund study opportunities for students from Malaysia and the region to come to the UK – and for Sussex undergraduates to experience life in Malaysian universities. 

The announcement was made at a special event in Kuala Lumpur yesterday (5 November 2015) to coincide with the opening of the University’s South East Asia regional hub. The University expects the permanent in-country presence will create more opportunities to work with the Malaysian Government and academic institutions on significant research, policy and teaching initiatives.

The Sussex Malaysia Scholarships, each worth £3,000, will be offered as a reduction towards tuition fees.The scheme will support Malaysian students who want to undertake Masters courses at Sussex. 

The scholarships will be complemented with a package of pastoral support to assist students who require additional language and study skills support in preparation for life in the UK.  The scholarship awards are merit-based and open to all students, irrespective of background, and form part of the University’s strategy to attract the best students. 

In addition, the University will fund places for undergraduate students from Malaysia to study for four weeks at the Sussex Summer School. Sussex has also allocated funding for more than 100 Sussex undergraduates to spend part of their degree course in universities in Malaysia or in the wider region. 

Starting in 2016, the schemes, which will see more than £500,000 invested in Malaysia alone, will strengthen the University of Sussex’s ties with Malaysia. The package forms part of the University’s growth strategy to extend its international reach throughout Asia and to benefit from Malaysia’s position as a world leader in developing innovative approaches to trans-national education.

University of Sussex Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, said: “We know the Malaysian Government is keen to create study opportunities in Europe and to continue to develop a highly skilled and educated workforce.  At Sussex, we already have a long tradition of welcoming students from this part of the world. We want to ensure that we continue to attract these students as they significantly add to the cultural and intellectual diversity of the University. 

“We currently have more than 250 students from South East Asia studying on our campus, plus 500 more from other parts of Asia. We are developing areas of research, such as engineering and innovation that we know
are vital for Asian economies.”

The most popular courses currently chosen by Malaysian students are in the fields of business, management, economics, engineering and life sciences.

The University has almost 600 alumni from Malaysia, including Teng Boo Tan, a renowned financial investor; Marina Mahathir, a leading social activist, film maker and daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad; Abu Bakar Sahol, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Tecknologi MARA; Ainul Jamal Ainul, Executive Director of Hirex Petroleum and Wan Abdullah Wan, Secretary General in the Ministry of Finance.

Professor Farthing said: “Malaysia is a very attractive destination for British students wanting to experience Asia, understand Islamic culture and experience a different study environment.”

He added: “A key priority for the University is to ensure more of our students have the chance to study abroad so they become more employable, rounded individuals with a global awareness.  The launch of this new scheme, focused on Malaysia, will help us to develop more mobility opportunities for our students and our staff within Malaysian partner institutions.

“As a UK university, we are extremely proud to have been recognised among the UK’s top ten universities for employability of our students, and to be consistently ranked among the top one percent of universities globally.

“Among our population of more than 15,000 students, we count more than 120 nationalities and provide excellent support for those from overseas; from English language tuition to provision of Islamic prayer rooms and a multi-faith chaplaincy.  The Malaysian, Bruneian and Singaporean Students’ Society also provides a strong friendship and social group for many of our students from that part of the world.”

 Notes for editors

The University of Sussex currently offers a range of scholarships for undergraduates, which are available to applicants from Malaysia. These include the Chancellor’s Masters Scholarships for applicants with a first-class undergraduate degree from a UK University.

For more information, contact University of Sussex Senior Media Relations Manager Jacqui Bealing. +44 1273 678888 press@sussex.ac.uk