New Ideas Concerning Arts and Social Studies Vol. 8

Over the past several decades, Malaysia's higher education sector has witnessed remarkable growth and transformation, contributing to its emergence as a regional education hub. However, perceived competitiveness remains a key challenge in attracting international students, particularly because of increasing global competition and rising expectations regarding academic quality, student satisfaction, employability, and international recognition. These challenges require continuous efforts to enhance Malaysia’s position in the global higher education market. This study investigates the key factors influencing Malaysia’s perceived competitiveness in attracting international students, focusing on international students’ satisfaction, cultural diversity, perceived quality, safety and security, and affordability. A quantitative research approach was adopted using a structured questionnaire distributed to 150 international students studying at private universities in Malaysia. Stratified sampling was used to ensure representation across nationalities, academic programmes, and levels of study. SEM was used to analyse the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that international students’ satisfaction, cultural diversity, safety and security, perceived quality, and affordability exerted significant positive effects on perceived competitiveness. These results highlight the importance of enhancing international student satisfaction, maintaining a safe environment, and offering affordable education to strengthen Malaysia's global standing in higher education. The study contributes to the theoretical advancement of the international education literature and offers practical implications for university administrators and policymakers. This study has several limitations and suggests directions for future research.