How Much Does It Cost To Study Medicine In Malaysia?

The education pathway to becoming a general practitioner or medical officer is known to be a long and challenging one. A medical degree provides students with foundational knowledge on medical sciences and typically takes around 5 years to complete.  

A medical degree also prepares one for a career that will be dealing in the matters of life and death, so the quality of the syllabus and teachings are of the highest standards. With a longer duration and the quality upkeeping, a medical degree tends to be more expensive as well. 

Types Of Medicine Degrees In Malaysia      

There are two types of medicine degrees in Malaysia – the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) as well as the Doctor of Medicine (MD). Both are full-time degrees that span a duration of around 5 years.  

To get into a medical programme, you will need to fulfil minimum academic requirements as below and achieve a level of competency in the English language: 

Do note that the requirements stated above are the minimum and they can vary according to different universities. 

Students can go on the Malaysian Medical Council website to check a list of recognised medical institutions from within the country and overseas as well. 

The MBBS and MD is considered as a first step in a person’s journey to becoming a medical professional. Upon completing the MBBS and MD, graduates in Malaysia are required to do their housemanship, which is a practical internship, at government hospitals for 2 years. Once they complete their housemanship, they will need to serve at a government hospital as medical officers for another 2 years.  

After completing the compulsory service, they can choose to carve a career as a general practitioner in private practices or continue to be a medical officer in public hospitals. Medical graduates can also choose to specialise in a certain medical field and undergo advanced training that will take typically at least 6 years. 

Medical Programmes & Costs In Malaysia 

There are public and private institutions that offer the MBBS and MD course in Malaysia. Public universities are funded by the government. As the government subsidise education, course fees at public universities are significantly lower than those of a private university.  

Students are chosen based on their performance in both academic and co-curricular activities. There are 20 public universities in Malaysia so getting placement in one can get quite competitive. 

List of public universities in Malaysia that offer MBBS/MD 

As observed above, course fees for Malaysian students who apply and get accepted to public universities are lower than those offered to foreign students. Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia segments its fees further into 3 categories whereby local students whose family belong in the top 20% income category will still need to pay a significantly higher course fee than its Malaysian peers. 

List of private universities in Malaysia that offer MBBS/MD 

The table above shows some of the popular universities in Malaysia to get a medical degree. All the universities above are in the Klang Valley area with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Sungai Long being slightly further away from Kuala Lumpur city centre. 

UTAR offers the most affordable course fees at RM269,150 for the entire MBBS programme. Set to be a not-for-profit university, UTAR is wholly owned by the UTAR Education Foundation which receives fundings from its benefactors and public community to provide affordable education to all.  

Other Costs Involved In Studying Medicine 

Aside from course fees, students will need to prepare extra money for other costs. These include admission fees or registration fees. UM charges local students an admission fee of RM900 and international students a fee of RM4,166.55. Meanwhile, Taylor’s University requires an enrolment fee of RM1,050 for local students and RM2,800 for international students. 

There might also be additional costs incurred from equipment usage. Monash Malaysia requires students to pay RM100 every semester for general amenities upkeeping. In addition, students at Taylor’s University may need to pay for lab coat and goggles priced at RM60. 

Lastly, students will also have to consider accommodation fees. Local students residing within the hostels at Universiti Malaya pay fees of RM6.50 to RM10 per day. On the other hand, international students’ accomodation fees are as below: 

Source  

Financial Assistance To Study Medicine 

Studying medicine can be a costly affair especially if you’re doing your studies at a private institution. Students can get financial assistance from the government to complete their MBBS or MD studies including the PTPTN loan. It offers up to RM50,000 loan per year to those studying for the MBBS course at private institutions with an affordable flat rate interest of 1%. 

Depending on your parents’ income, you will receive a full loan, partial loan or tuition fee-only loan. For full and partial loan receivers, the loan is credited directly into your bank account so it can cover your tuition fees, lifestyle expenses and more.

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