Top 5 Universities in Malaysia offering Healthcare & Nursing programs

• Malaysia offers affordable, high-quality healthcare and nursing education with international recognition, attracting students from Asia, Middle East, and Africa.
• Leading institutions include University of Malaya, USM, IMU, UKM, and IJN University College, offering strong practical training, research opportunities, and international exposure.
• Focus on maintaining global standards, addressing workforce shortages, and ensuring uniform quality across public and private institutions for better employability.

Malaysia has emerged as one of Asia’s most attractive destinations for higher education, offering a blend of affordability, cultural diversity, and globally recognized academic standards. Over the past decade,it has established itself as a center of learning in the medical and other related health sciences in terms of education in healthcare and nursing, which are in demand both locally and internationally. Having a strong focus on the practical training, accreditation, and international cooperation, Malaysia starts acquiring a more prominent role among the students of different parts of Asia, Middle East, and even Africa.

Malaysia’s Healthcare and Nursing Education Landscape

Healthcare and nursing education in Malaysia has expanded rapidly, driven by a few key factors:

• Rising Demand for Healthcare Professionals: As Malaysia’s population ages and the region faces increasing health challenges, there is a growing need for qualified nurses, doctors, and allied health workers.
• Global representation: The Malaysian universities are gradually gaining recognition in global ranking particularly in health sciences and are therefore a competitive option among international students.
• Low-cost and Quality Education: Malaysia has superior healthcare programs at lower prices than the western countries, accompanied by the best facilities and clinical training avenues in the country.
• Government & Institutional Support: National efforts and investments are being made to ensure that graduates are employment-ready and able to compete internationally, with regards to healthcare education.

As part of this diverse ecosystem, there are a number of universities who have excelled and been innovative in their healthcare and nursing learning. Now we are going to examine the Top 5 Universities in Malaysia that have Healthcare and Nursing Programs in 2025.

University of Malaya (UM)

The University of Malaya, being the oldest and the most prestigious government-owned university in Malaysia, has established the reputation of the world in terms of research and clinical practice. Faculty of Medicine and related health sciences programs are some of the most requested in the region. Nursing students at UM benefit from:

• Access to cutting-edge facilities and medical centers.
• Innovative, internationally-certified programs that guarantee worldwide workability.

Strong emphasis on both academic excellence and community service in healthcare. The steady positioning of UM in the world rankings lists of the best universities makes it the most preferred choice of students when it comes to obtaining a mix of tradition, innovation and high employability in medical professions.

UniversitiSains Malaysia (USM)

UniversitiSains Malaysia is also referred to as the Health Campus of Malaysia and has established a niche as one of the best medical and nursing education establishments. USM has a good research/practical training reputation; it offers:

•  An all inclusive nursing curriculum that incorporates both classroom and clinical rotations.
•  Partnerships with hospitals and health institutions across Malaysia.

 A focus on innovation, public health, and rural healthcare delivery. The commitment of USM to learn and develop research in the field of healthcare and develop highly skilled professionals keeps it among the best universities to study nursing in Malaysia.

International Medical University (IMU)

IMU is the first private medical university in Malaysia and it is fully committed to healthcare and the medical sciences. It is a unique company with a specialization and international ties:

•  Students of the medicine, nursing, and allied health sciences have a special offers program.
•  Close affiliations with other partner universities around the world, with the chance of student exchange and credit transfer.

Evidence-based practice/innovation in healthcare Researched curriculum. The reputation of IMU as an institution of sole purpose of providing healthcare makes it offer students a different environment of learning and focusing more on depth, specialization, and the international exposure.

UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

 Another high-ranking public university is UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia, which is also known as the National University of Malaysia and is enhancing the power of its healthcare education programs. Highlights include:

•  Faculty and research-oriented atmosphere.
•  Various healthcare courses such as nursing, medicine and the allied sciences.

 Recognition in global university rankings, particularly for its healthcare-related disciplines. UKM is a leading institution of choice to students seeking advanced the field of healthcare  in Malaysia, because of its good academic base and ongoing innovations.

IJN University College

Being a comparatively new institution, IJN University College has rapidly attracted attention since it is a university college specializing in healthcare education, especially nursing and other specialized medical areas. It was previously a section of the National Heart Institute (InstitutJantung Negara), since they will become a university college accepting new students in 2025. Students benefit from:

•  A specialized focus on nursing and healthcare programs.
•  Opportunities for training in state-of-the-art hospitals and cardiac centers.

 Curriculum matched the increasing need of specialized health practitioners in Malaysia and in other countries. IJN University College is a progressive solution to the healthcare education in Malaysia, a mixture of niche knowledge and practical training opportunities. 

Also Read: Top 10 Colleges in Malaysia for Pursuing Mass Communication Excellence

Challenges in Malaysia’s Healthcare & Nursing Education

 Although Malaysia has been recording impressive development on this sector, there is a problem:

• Ensuring the Global Standards: It has to continuously upgrade facilities, faculty, and curriculum in order to remain competitive in the global sphere.
• Overcoming Workforce Shortages: Malaysia will continue to experience workforce shortages despite increased enrollments and this entails an increase in the scale of education and training.
• Striking the right balance between Public and Private Growth: As the number of private institutions is growing at a blistering pace, it is imperative to maintain uniform accreditation and quality throughout the industry.
• Global Mobility of Graduates: Mobilizing students towards international recognition / licensing is a focus area to increase global employability.  

Final Thoughts

Students who dream to have a career in the field of healthcare will find in Malaysia not only the academic facilities at the world level, but also the cultural and professional atmosphere to develop successfully both locally and internationally. These universities will keep playing a central role in the future of healthcare education in Malaysia and other parts of the world as the demand of the healthcare professionals keeps on increasing.