Mission : To ensure private higher education is of the highest quality through proper policy planning, legislation, facilitation, encouragement and excellent service to produce knowledgeable individuals with strong ethics.

Functions  :  To grants approval for the establishment of private higher educational institutions (PHEIs). Also conducts enforcement and monitoring of PHEI's activities.

Private institution that provide foreign pre-university qualifications :

The pre-university certificate is the basic qualification for grade 11 students (SPM or GCE O Level school leavers) en route to the first year of a Bachelor's degree programme. The duration of study is between one to two years.

Many students who pursued their Pre-University programme at private PHEIs have gained placements in reputable universities around the world.

Only STPM qualifications and other Malaysian university foundation programmes are accepted by Government's public universities. Other foreign pre-university qualifications will not be accepted by government's universities unless special approval is obtained.

Education Levels of MQA

Levels of education in the higher education system detailed by Malaysian Qualification Framework (MQF) :

(PHEIs)

2) Internal or self-designed certificate and diploma qualifications

3) Foreign university degree programmes in collaboration with
partner-universities

4) External professional and semi-professional examinations

2) Internal diploma and degree qualifications as well as foreign university degrees progrommes in collaboration with partner-universities

Academic Qualifications Required in Gaining Admission into PHEIs

PHEIs will require some basic academic qualifications from applicants beforeconsidering their applications for the respective study programmes. The general entry requirement to pursue Diploma programmes is SPM or GCSE O Level with a minimum of 3 credits, whereas students with STPM qualifications or its equivalent such as GCE A Levels, University Foundation Programme, SAM, and CPU are allowed to enter Year 1 of an undergraduate programme.

English Proficiency Standard for admission into PHEIs

English Proficiency Requirement
Proficiency in the English language is a basic requirement by PHEIs. Students ore expected to have adequate knowledge and understanding of English, as this is the language of instruction at the private colleges and universities. Various international examinations such as GCE 1119, MUET (Malaysia University English Test), TOEFL and IELTS are generally accepted for Bachelor's degree programmes.

Private Higher Educational Institutions (PHEIs) or Institut Pengajian Tinggi Swasta (IPTS) have been playing a role as public universities in the provision of tertiary education in Malaysia since the early 1980s.

Private higher educational institutions are non-government aided and fully-funded by the private sector. Some are also listed on the Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, KLSE). These institutions of higher learning are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE] (Kemenlerian Pengojiion Tinggi Malaysia) and are stringently governed by various legislations to ensure provision of quality education.

The four foreign university branch campuses offer internationally-recognized foreign degree qualifications whilst the 32 private universities offer home-grown degree programmes and 3 + 0 foreign university degree programmes. There ore some 30 non-university status PHEIs (i.e. private colleges) that conduct 3+0 foreign university degree programmes in collaboration with overseas host universities, besides awarding their own certificate and diploma levels qualifications to students.

Many of these PHEIs also have twinning degree arrangements with reputable foreign universities all over the world. At the beginning of 2007, there were more than 320,000 students studying in PHEIs and about 35,000 (approximately 10% of the total) were international students pursuing tertiary programmes and English language courses.
Malaysia's private higher education is unique and renowned because it offers students a wide variety of study options and a choice of both local and foreign university qualifications of International standing to suit individual preferences.

Private higher educational institutions (PHEIs) which offer tertiary education must be approved by the Ministry of Higher Education (www. mohe.edu.my) as required by Malaysian laws.
In addition to obtaining the approval to operate, the courses offered by PHEIs need to be endorsed by the national quality assurance agency i.e. Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). Without the endorsement of MQA, any qualification awarded to students by PHEIs is considered a breach of Malaysian education law and the provider can be charged. Therefore, it is advisable for students to check with the institution concerned whether the intended course of study is endorsed by MQA.

An important point to note is that not all PHEIs in Malaysia, although approved by the Ministry of Higher Education as education providers, are allowed to enroll international students. In order to do so, PHEIs require an additional license or approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs Malaysia (Immigration Department).

Private Higher Education Management Sector Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia

The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education, which is also popularly known as Jabatan Pengajian Tinggi (JPT) has sectors, divisions and an administrative unit which are concerned with higher education in Malaysia. The sector which is designated with the jurisdiction over private higher education in Malaysia is known as the Private Higher Education Management Sector which is led by the Deputy Director-General.  

The Private Higher Education Management Sector was previously called the Department of Private Education (JPS) which was established on 1st October 1995. The move to rename the department as Private Higher Education Management Sector (Sektor Pengurusan IPTS) is to provide more focus on the provision of quality education by private higher education institutions (PHEIs). It strives to ensure that the private higher education sector in Malaysia is competitive and can fulfill the manpower needs of the country. This sector is entrusted with formulating plans and strategies for private tertiary education in order to meet and address global challenges ahead including having a current and efficient data and information system.  

Private higher education is to be the catalyst for attaining high quality knowledge, producing competitive human capital and providing education of international standing.  

Its scope of responsibilities includes the following:

• To legislate, re-assess, check and establish policies related to private higher education.

• To process all applications related to private higher education institutions (PHEI) under the legal provision related to PHEI.

• To set standards for private higher education and to ensure that the standards are adhered to.

• To monitor and to enforce regulations related to the management of private higher education institutions under the private higher education legal provision.

• To manage the collection of all fees related to PHEI and the Department of Private Education Trustee Account.  

• To provide advice, guidance, counseling and consultation (regarding private higher education) to clients.  

• To manage the collection of data and information related to private higher education.  

• To be the referral source for matters related to private higher education in Malaysia.  

The primary role of the Sector is to guide the development of private higher education institutions in Malaysia so that the country will provide quality education, be a centre for knowledge creation and a producer of competitive human capital. The Sector's roles are as follow:

Formulating of Policies and Directions of Private Higher Education  

This Sector formulates policies and sets the direction for the development of private higher education in the country.

The Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 facilitates the establishment of private colleges, universities, university colleges and foreign branch campus universities in Malaysia. The Act provides the framework or scope for the development of PHEIs in the country.

As a result, it enables private universities, university-colleges and foreign branch campuses as well as selected private colleges that conduct foreign universities' degree programmes entirely in Malaysia through collaborative arrangements (3+0 foreign university degree programmes). The availability of degree programmes by private universities and 3+0 foreign university degree programmes by private colleges have provided students with alternatives in getting education at affordable fees. Previously, students only had the option of either studying at public universities or universities abroad.  

Collaborative arrangements in addition to the '3+0' foreign university programme also come in the forms of '2+1' (i.e. 2 years in Malaysia and one year at the foreign host-university), '2+2' (i.e. 2 years in Malaysia and 2 years at the foreign host-university) or '3+1' (i.e. 3 years in Malaysia and one year at the foreign host- university), etc.  

Besides collaborations with foreign universities, there are also collaborative arrangements between PHEIs and the public universities for programmes leading to the award of Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor's Degree qualifications. These arrangements are also increasing yearly.  

On top of that, the private universities and university colleges have come up with their own home-grown programmes which are of high standards and are recognized by many countries in the world

This Sector ensures that operators of private higher education provide quality education. Any institution that fails to comply with the rules and regulations stipulated under Act 555 will be given the advice to improve and strengthen their operations. However, if there is any constructive follow-up action, such institutions will face legal action, including closure of the premises), cancellation of operating licenses and the withdrawal of approval.  

To ensure the provision of quality education, thus safeguarding the interest of the public, the Sector conducts regular monitoring which includes:  

• Marketing and advertising of courses • Total education fees structure • Premises and educational infrastructure • Registration validity • New programmes / courses of studies • Members of the Board of Governors and constitution of the institution • A registered Chief Executive Officer (CEO) • Academic staff who are duly appointed and registered.

This Sector scrutinizes and evaluates all applications for the establishment of PHEIs according to standard procedures. Upon satisfactory evaluation, the Minister of Higher Education will grant the approval for the establishment. PHEIs also need recommendation from the Malaysian Qualifications Agency MQA (formerly was National Accreditation Board, LAN) to receive approval to conduct courses. Approval from the Minister of Higher Education will be given upon receipt of MQA's recommendation.  

> Monitoring and Enforcing Legislations  

There are provisions in the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 which pertain to the quality of education offered by the PHEIs. The Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996 is the legislative tool for monitoring and ensuring that PHEIs offer quality education.  

> Providing Advisory Services  

The Private Higher Education Management Sector also provides information to the general public which includes prospective students, parents and employers regarding the status of institutions and courses of study. The Sector also provides information to would- be providers regarding the procedures to establish a higher educational institution.  

> Data and Information Centre  

The PHEI Management Sector regularly collects data and updates information about private higher education institutions. The Sector also publishes both general and statistical information on private higher education for the benefit of the public.  

Challenges

In its pursuit to meet the aspiration of the Government to fulfil the Vision 2020, the Sector has anticipated certain challenges such as:  

• Ensuring quality and competitive curricula  

• Ensuring good governance of Higher Education Institutions • Ensuring quality lecturers • Attracting international students to study in Malaysia • Providing guidance to encourage the development of the higher education sector