Abstract:
The international trade in higher education services changed drastically as
the changing macroeconomic environment has transformed traditional host countries of
international students into a global export industry. The current study aimed to pinpoint
the most influential factors that affect international students’ decision to study in
Malaysian universities. The focus of the study was directed towards the factors stated
in previous studies from the year 2007-2018 from students’ perspective. The study
applied a meta-analysis to investigate these influential factors on 14 previous research
papers. The findings indicated that (a) cost of education is the key factor that affects
international students’ choice decision of university in Malaysia; (b) learning
environment plays a highly influential factor enticing students to study in Malaysia; (c)
quality education and facility shape international students’ mind of choice decision; and
(d) decision influencer, programs offered, and academic reputation have a significant
influence on students’ choice decision of university. In general, the study revealed that
international students enrolled in Malaysian universities to pursue high quality
education in well-recognized universities to develop the required capacities and to
acquire high qualifications to be competitive individuals in the labor market
