Higher education in Asia has never looked better.
Universities like the National University of Singapore (NUS), Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong are mainstays in the top 30 of the QS World University Rankings — and for plenty of good reason.
Perhaps what’s even more impressive is that even the cheapest Asian countries don’t skimp out on the quality of education.
Here, it’s about supporting international students right. This means giving you the best support services, making sure you’re just as employable as the locals, offering curricula that balance practice and theory perfectly, and more.
Plus, with some of the world’s most cutting-edge technology emerging from South Korea, China, and India, the continent is growing in opportunities — and hungry to absorb talent from abroad, and that’s why there’s no time like the present to explore these countries:
The cheapest Asian countries for international students
Taiwan’s affordable education for international students makes it one of the cheapest Asian countries to pursue a degree abroad. Source: AFP
Taiwan
Taiwan’s best-ranked university on the QS World University Rankings 2025 is the National Taiwan University (NTU) at #68.
And despite being the finest in the nation, its annual international student fees are fairly inexpensive, ranging between 71,400 New Taiwan dollars to NT$96,120 (US$2,414 to US$3,250) for undergraduates and NT$102,560 to NT$300,000 (US$3,468 to US$10,145) for postgraduates.
So let that set the tone for how much you’ll be spending in universities throughout the rest of the country.
In fact, your cost of living is affordable too. NTU estimates that off-campus accommodation in Taipei, the capital city, costs around NT$72,000 to NT$144,000 (US$2,434 to US$4,869) a year. Meanwhile, your annual living expenses will come up to around NT$96,000 to NT$144,000 (US$3,246 to US$4,869).
Plus, Taiwan’s semiconductor, electronic, and hardware manufacturing industries are some of the best in the world, which means it’s opportunities galore, as long as you know how to seize it.
The country is also located close to many great neighbours; to the north is South Korea and Japan, while to the west is China and Hong Kong, each boasting their share of opportunities for your professional and personal development.
Uniquely multicultural, warmly welcoming, and one of the cheapest Asian countries in the region — Malaysia won’t disappoint when you choose it as a study destination. Source: AFP
Malaysia
Universiti Malaya (UM), Malaysia’s oldest higher education institution, has steadily climbed the QS World University Rankings, placing #60 in 2025. Others follow suit:
- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at #138
- Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) at #146
- Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) at #148
- Universiti Teknologi Malaysia at #181
At UM, international students can pay around 59,400 to 103,900 Malaysian ringgit (US$13,991 to US$24,472) per year. Engineering programmes cost a little more at 132,100 ringgit (US$31,115) a year; the Bachelor of Pharmacy costs 280,100 ringgit (US$65,975) a year, and the Bachelor of Dentistry is the university’s most expensive programme, coming at 655,000 ringgit (US$154,281) a year.
Still, this remains relatively more affordable when compared to the “Big Four” destinations like the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
On that note, however, another one of the many advantages of choosing Malaysia is that there are various branch campuses of top-ranked universities available here, on top of the country’s own finest.
This includes but isn’t limited to international partner universities like the UK’s University of Nottingham and Heriot-Watt University, and Australia’s Monash University and Swinburne University of Technology. This allows you to earn your UK or Australian degrees without the exorbitant costs of actually living there.
For example, international students pursuing a BSc in Computer Science at Nottingham’s Malaysia campus pay RM55,000 (US$12,954) per year, while those at the UK campus pay 30,750 pounds (US$41,611) a year.
Numbeo estimates the average monthly cost of living in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur to be 2,563 ringgit (US$603) per month, or 30,756 ringgit (US$7,236) a year, excluding rent. A one-bedroom apartment in the city centre can cost around 2,397 ringgit (US$564) a month, while one outside the city centre comes up at around 1,560 ringgit (US$367) a month.
Between bustling metropolitan cities and quiet countryside towns, China has much to offer and is an excellent place to consider if you’re thinking of studying in one of the cheapest Asian countries. Source: AFP
China
From Beijing’s Peking University at #14 and Tsinghua University at #20 to Shanghai’s Fudan University at #39 and Shanghai Jiao Tong University at #45, China’s higher education institutions are no strangers to strong standings on the QS World University Rankings.
Hangzhou’s Zhejiang University, which ranks #47, only costs international students 19,800 to 29,800 Chinese yuan (US$2,760 to US$4,154) a year for its undergraduate programmes. Its Clinical Medicine (MBBS) programme is its most expensive, costing 42,800 yuan (US$5,966) a year — leagues cheaper than the programmes in other countries.
There, Numbeo estimates that your average monthly cost comes up to 4,081 yuan (US$568). Rent in a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs around 3,699 yuan (US$515) a month, and outside the city centre, it’ll be 2,189 yuan (US$305).
The numbers don’t shoot up too much if you consider Beijing too. The average monthly cost goes up to 4,174 yuan (US$581), a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs 6,462 yuan (US$900) a month, and goes down to 3,273 yuan (US$456) outside the city centre.
Of course, another major advantage to studying in China, aside from it being the cheapest Asian country for international students, is that it’s got the world’s second-largest economy and is a leader in tech, manufacturing, and international trade. They’ve been matching the US achievement for achievement and show no signs of stopping; see DeepSeek for AI, BYD for automakers, and Huawei for telecommunications.
South Korea is more than just K-pop, kimchi, and Samsung — it’s one of the cheapest Asian countries for international students looking to pursue their studies too. Source: AFP
South Korea
We know you might be raising your brows at having South Korea on this list of the cheapest Asian countries, but hear us out first.
This East Asian country’s best-ranked university is Seoul National University, coming in at #31 on the QS World University Rankings 2025. There are four other institutions ranked within the top 100 of the list — and not all of them are even located in the capital city of Seoul.
Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) ranks #53 and is based in Daejeon, the country’s fifth-largest metropolis. The university might be less well known internationally, but nationally, it’s been long recognised as the gateway to advanced science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and graduates here have been key players behind the country’s innovations.
Not only are 80-90% of the lectures delivered in English, but tuition here is really affordable too. KAIST charges international students 19,118,000 South Korean won (US$13,941) a year. Numbeo doesn’t have the exact numbers for your monthly cost of living, but Expatisan estimates it to be 1,605,437 won (US$1,170). Meanwhile, a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre costs 500,000 won (US$364), and 426,666 won (US$311) outside the city centre.
Still, there’s no denying that there are plenty of benefits to living in Seoul too. It’s QS’s #3 best student city for a reason. Here, you’ll have access to South Korea’s biggest companies headquartered in the capital, like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Naver, and Kakao, and plenty of international expos too.
Just to make things a little more affordable, we’ve covered the best scholarships for international students in South Korea here, so be sure to give it a read.
Pro tip: most of the universities here will offer some form of tuition fee reduction based on your proficiency in the Korean language. We’ve also covered you there, with the best Korean language courses to pick up before your move, an app that lets you learn from native speakers, and as a bonus, here’s how an Indonesian mastered the language in four months.
Disclaimer: This article was last updated on June 13, 2025.
