Outbound mobility from Southeast Asia is still climbing, with a 5.7% increase in 2023, according to Jazreel Goh, director Malaysia at the British Council. She noted that destination choices are shifting fast, with students opting for regional hubs like Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia, in addition to China and Taiwan.
The UK, Australia, and the US remain important destinations, but their appeal is being challenged by the growing popularity of regional alternatives. Malaysia is emerging as a prominent player in student recruitment, offering affordability, improving rankings, and strong government support.
Anthony Partington, CEO of XCL Education in Malaysia, is seeing this shift play out at the school level. His private schools group educates around 20,000 students across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, largely in a British curriculum. Many students view Malaysia as a springboard for the UK.
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Despite continued demand, the cost of a UK degree is becoming increasingly prohibitive for many students. In several Southeast Asian markets, the cost of UK study amounts to many times the average household income, with Vietnam being a particularly stark example.
Abhi Veerakumarasivam, provost and deputy vice-chancellor of Sunway University, cautioned that the long-held assumption of automatic UK prestige no longer holds in the same way. For many families, conversations center on how the UK compares to other destinations, including regional competitors with strong offers on cost, access, and post-study opportunities.
Abhi Veerakumarasivam said it’s no longer that coming to the UK alone is going to sell. Instead, students are looking for quality and long-term career outcomes, and the UK must compete on reputation rather than price.
In Malaysia, for example, students often intend to return home rather than stay abroad, and they judge the usefulness of a degree by how it builds skills, exposure to industry, and pathways back into their domestic labor market. As Jazreel Goh noted, “Southeast Asian and East Asian students are not interested in staying in the UK long term.”
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For UK recruiters, the most direct challenge came in Goh‘s call for a change in how they approach Southeast Asia. “The era of the mega market is definitely over,” she said. Success now depends on executing across many smaller markets, requiring a more targeted approach.
The implications of this shift are significant, and UK recruiters must adapt to the changing environment. As Goh emphasized, it’s about quality, not quantity.
In the midst of this shift, one thing is clear: the UK must compete on reputation, quality, and long-term career outcomes to remain an attractive destination for students from Southeast Asia. As the region continues to evolve, UK recruiters must be prepared to adjust their approaches and strategies to stay ahead in the competitive market for international students.
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