University of Malaya has its roots in Singapore with the establishment of King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1905. In 1949 University of Malaya was formed with the amalgamation of King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College in Singapore.  University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur officially established in 1962. 
 
The University is internationally recognised as the highest ranked higher education institution in Malaysia. In the 2020 QS World Ranking, the University ranked at 70th in the world, 19th in Asia, 3rd in Southeast Asia. The Faculty of Business is double crowned by AACBS and AMBA.  
 
UM has also made great strides in institutionalising university-community projects addressing local community needs and societal problems leveraging on technology developed through research and expertise within the campus community for possible solutions. 
Although the student population at UM is 90% domestic, the institution is a melting pot of cultures due to Malaysia’s multi-cultural mix.  
 
UM is home to vibrant, colourful, vivid and exciting student activities whether organised by the International Student Centre (ISC). The centre hosts a list of on and off campus activities including community engagement programmes, non-academic cultural exposure programmes, student society activities and many more. 

Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is informally known, is Malaysia’s capital and largest city. It is also the cultural, financial and economic centre of the country and home to the Parliament of Malaysia. The city skyline is best recognised by the iconic PETRONAS Twin Towers located in the heart of the central business district.

Kuala Lumpur is a magnet for tourists, with an estimated 8.6 million visiting annually. Tourism is driven by the city’s cultural diversity, relatively low costs and wide selection of cuisine available. KL is also a shopping haven with over 66 malls located in the city.

Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia. It consists of 13 states and three federal territories separated by the South China Sea – Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, which is situated on the island of Borneo. The country is home to approximately 32 million people, of which just under 1.8 million live in Kuala Lumpur, the capital and largest city.

The official language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, however English is widely spoken, as well as other languages including Mandarin, Cantonese and Tamil. This diversity of languages is a reflection of the multi-ethnic and multicultural population which is largely Malay (approximately 70%), with minority Chinese, Indian, Portuguese and indigenous peoples making up the balance.

This cultural melting pot provides plenty of opportunity to experience delicious food, develop multiple language skills, see the influences of various religions within close proximity of each other and enjoy festivals and celebrations from a wide range of cultures.

The country is not only diverse in its population, but in flora and fauna as well. Malaysia has some of the world’s oldest tropical rainforests, which at 130 million years old pre-dates the Amazon rainforest. Hike through primary jungle, across mountain trails, under waterfalls and into caves, and you will see tapirs, wild boar, deer, monkeys, bats and more. If you visit East Malaysia, you may even see elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses and orangutans. If you are a trained diver or are passionate about ocean life, Malaysia has some of the most beautiful beaches and top dive sites in the world. You will also find four UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in Malaysia: Gunung Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, historic cities Melaka and George Town and the archaeological heritage site of the Lenggong Valley.

Did you know?

The largest cave chamber in the world by area is the Sarawak Chamber in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. It is often claimed that the corridor of Deer Cave, a 1-mile-/1.6-km-long passage of the caves, could house five rows of eight Boeing 747 jetliners parked nose to tail.

Malaysia’s national drink is teh tarik (“pulled tea”). The tea is poured across a distance of about 3 feet from one cup to another, with no spillage. The idea is to cool it for customers, but it has become a Malaysian art form.

All students must meet standard exchange selection criteria and any host institution restrictions.

Students must have a GPA of at least 6.0.

• UniSA academic transcript 
• Passport 
• Evidence of English proficiency (if applicable) 

Students must take 9 credits at Uni Malaya for a UniSA semester credit of 13.5 units or 12 credits at Uni Malaya for 18 UniSA units. 

Non-native English speakers must have minimum IELTS (academic) Band 6, TOEFL 550). 

Find courses at University of Malaya

University of Malaya offers airport pick up from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or KLIA2. Please contact the Information Student Centre (ISC) to organise pick up.  
 
Other transportation method to the campus are also available and can be found here. 

University of Malays offers a variety of on-campus accommodation. Students will need to arrange on-campus accommodation separately.  Please see here for more information on on-campus accommodation pricing and options. 
 
Off-campus accommodation are also available, please see here for more information.  

As an exchange partner with the University of South Australia, you do not have to pay tuition fees to University of Malaya, instead you will pay tuition as you would normally at UniSA. Travel and living expenses are at your own cost. The table below gives an indication of costs you will incur: 

More information can be found here.

You may be eligible to receive additional grants or scholarships to fund your experience. For more information please see the funding and scholarships website.

UniSA offers travel insurance as part of your exchange for up to 270 days (can be extended up to 365 days). For more information please see travel insurance website.  
 
Please click here to read the travel insurance policy. 
 
A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. 
 
If you have any further questions about travel insurance, please contact the UniSA Insurance Office on 08 8302 1678. 

As an exchange student at University of Malaya, you must purchase compulsory additional health insurance. See here for more information. 

After arrival in Malaysia, you will need to undertake a compulsory Post-Arrival Medical Screening within 7 days of arrival. The medical screening must be done at the EMGS appointed panel clinic. More information will be provided by University of Malaya.