Johor Bahru’s main universities are Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in Skudai, which took 4,088 new undergraduates at its JB campus in 2026/27, and the UK branch campuses in Iskandar Puteri: Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, the University of Southampton Malaysia and the University of Reading Malaysia. Private colleges such as Southern University College, Sunway College and MDIS add more choice. Student rentals cluster near Skudai and EduCity, while city-centre condos near the CIQ serve mainly cross-border commuters.
Two kinds of people search for universities in Johor Bahru. Parents want to know whether their child can get a good degree without leaving JB, or how far the campus is from home. Property buyers want to know whether a university nearby means steady student tenants. This guide answers both with published numbers. It lists the public university, the UK branch campuses and the main private colleges in JB and Iskandar, gives student figures where they are officially published, and explains honestly where student rental demand sits and how a city-centre home near the checkpoint fits into the picture.
How many universities are there in Johor Bahru?
JB has one large public research university, three UK university campuses in Iskandar Puteri and a group of private universities and colleges spread across the city. Most of the international campuses sit in EduCity, a purpose-built education hub in Iskandar Puteri, while the largest student population is at UTM in Skudai.
| Institution | Type | Area | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) | Public research university | Skudai | Engineering, built environment, science, computing, AI |
| Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) | UK branch campus | EduCity, Iskandar Puteri | MBBS medicine, biomedical sciences |
| University of Southampton Malaysia | UK branch campus | EcoBotanic City, Iskandar Puteri | Engineering degrees with UK study years |
| University of Reading Malaysia | UK branch campus | EduCity, Iskandar Puteri | Business, finance, real estate, surveying, law |
| Southern University College | Private non-profit university college | Skudai | Business, traditional Chinese medicine |
| Sunway College Johor Bahru | Private college | Johor Bahru | Foundation, diploma and selected degrees |
| MDIS Malaysia | Private college | EduCity, Iskandar Puteri | Business, IT, communications, hospitality |
| Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology (NMIT) | Private institute | EduCity, Iskandar Puteri | Maritime and port management diplomas |
| Crescendo International College | Private college | Desa Cemerlang, Ulu Tiram | A Levels, ACCA, University of London degrees |
Programmes and intakes change every year, so confirm details with each institution. Other providers such as UNITAR and City University also operate in Johor.
UTM: JB’s largest university by students
UTM is the anchor of higher education in Johor Bahru. Its main campus is in Skudai, north-west of the city centre, and it also runs a Kuala Lumpur campus.
- New intake: Bernama reported in October 2026 that UTM admitted 4,506 new full-time undergraduates for the 2026/2027 session, with 4,088 at the Johor Bahru campus and 418 in Kuala Lumpur. That was about 500 more places than the year before.
- Growth: the same report put UTM’s overall student population growth at about 12%.
- Biggest faculties by intake: Built Environment and Surveying (771), Science (511) and Electrical Engineering (503). A new Faculty of Artificial Intelligence took its first 55 students at the JB campus.
- Total size: Times Higher Education lists a student total of about 17,000 for UTM in its 2027 rankings data, and places it in the 401–450 band worldwide.
- International exposure: UTM welcomed 61 exchange students from 12 countries for Semester 2 of 2025/2026, working with 47 partner institutions.
What this means for you: thousands of new students arrive in Skudai every year, and that is where most student housing demand in JB comes from.
EduCity and the UK branch campuses in Iskandar Puteri
EduCity in Iskandar Puteri was built to bring overseas universities to Johor, and it remains the home of JB’s best-known international campuses. Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia describes its location as about 8 km from the Second Link to Singapore and about 25 km from Johor Bahru.
Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed)
NUMed offers the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences and a foundation programme in biological and biomedical sciences. It has run the MBBS in Johor since 2011, making it one of the longest-running UK degrees in the state.
University of Southampton Malaysia
Southampton started in EduCity and, as of late 2021, moved to a purpose-built campus in EcoBotanic City, Iskandar Puteri, about five minutes away. It is known for engineering degrees in which students spend their first years in Malaysia and complete their studies in the UK.
University of Reading Malaysia
Reading’s campus in EduCity is a purpose-built site of about 30,000 square metres with a long-term capacity of 3,000 students. The university lists undergraduate and postgraduate subjects for 2026/27 and 2027/28, including finance, marketing, building and surveying, engineering, law and project management.
Other EduCity institutions
MDIS Malaysia offers business, IT and communications programmes, and the Netherlands Maritime Institute of Technology runs maritime diplomas. Raffles University has also operated in Iskandar Puteri; check its current campus before applying.
Private universities and colleges across JB
For families who prefer a campus closer to home or a lower-cost pathway, JB’s private colleges fill the gap. Southern University College in Skudai is a non-profit institution popular with Chinese-educated students and known for traditional Chinese medicine and business. Sunway College Johor Bahru offers foundation and diploma programmes with pathways to Sunway’s Selangor campus. Crescendo International College in Desa Cemerlang runs A Levels, ACCA and University of London degrees.
Most private institutions accept the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). In May 2026 the Cabinet also approved a new pathway for UEC holders into selected public university programmes, subject to passing SPM Bahasa Melayu and History. Our guide to Chinese independent schools in Johor explains what that means for families.
How international university students come to JB
International degree students arrive through a separate, more structured process than school pupils, and it shapes when they look for housing. Under Immigration Malaysia’s rules, higher-education applicants apply from outside Malaysia through Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), which checks academic eligibility and issues an approval letter before Immigration approves the pass.
- After arrival, students must complete a medical examination within 7 days, and the institution then applies for the pass endorsement.
- Part-time work is allowed only for students at public universities and private higher-education institutions, up to 20 hours a week at approved types of workplace, with permission.
- Dependants may accompany only master’s and PhD students.
For landlords, this means international students usually search for a room or apartment in the weeks just before each intake, and they value furnished units, reliable internet and easy access to campus transport. Postgraduate students with families may look for larger units.
Key dates for JB higher education and the city centre
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2011 | NUMed begins offering the MBBS in Johor |
| Late 2021 | University of Southampton Malaysia moves to EcoBotanic City, Iskandar Puteri |
| May 2026 | Cabinet approves a UEC pathway into selected public university programmes |
| 2026/27 session | UTM admits 4,088 new undergraduates at its JB campus; first intake of its Faculty of Artificial Intelligence |
| February 2027 (target) | RTS Link passenger service between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North |
| Around 2030 (target) | Completion of Causewayz Square at Bukit Chagar |
Where does student rental demand sit in JB?
Student rental demand in JB tends to stay close to the campuses. There is no official city-wide figure for student renters, so it helps to think in clusters:
- Skudai and Taman Universiti: the biggest student cluster, driven by UTM and Southern University College. Demand is mainly for shared rooms and landed houses near the campus and bus routes.
- EduCity, EcoBotanic and Horizon Hills: students at the branch campuses, many of them international, often look for condos and serviced apartments within a short drive.
- Ulu Tiram and the east: smaller demand around colleges such as Crescendo.
Student tenancies also follow the academic calendar, so a landlord near a campus should expect turnover at the start and end of each academic year and plan for furnishing and room-by-room management. Our guide to rental yields for JB condos explains how vacancy and turnover affect returns.
How a city-centre condo fits the student picture
A home at Bukit Chagar is not a classic student rental, and it is better to be clear about that. The city centre is a long drive from Skudai and EduCity. Its strength is different: it sits beside the busiest border crossing in the region.
That creates a few education-linked renter and owner groups that do favour the city centre:
- Young adults who study in Singapore but live in JB. The Star has reported Malaysian students who leave home as early as 4 am to reach Singapore classes. The RTS Link between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North, targeted for February 2027, is designed to make that crossing far quicker; fares have not been announced.
- Parents of university students who want a JB base near the checkpoint and good road access to campuses.
- Visiting lecturers, researchers and staff who split time between Singapore and Johor.
Causewayz Square is about 600 m from the JB CIQ and about 800 m from the RTS Bukit Chagar station, with a pedestrian link bridge proposed by the developer, and is targeted for completion around 2030. Its studio and dual-key layouts suit young adults and smaller households; see our Causewayz Square studio guide. For rents near the checkpoint, read JB condo rental prices near the RTS and CIQ.
Two questions investors often ask
“Is EduCity still active?”
Yes. NUMed continues to run its MBBS and biomedical programmes, Southampton invested in a purpose-built campus in EcoBotanic City, and Reading lists undergraduate and postgraduate subjects for both 2026/27 and 2027/28. Together with private colleges such as MDIS and NMIT, EduCity remains the main international study cluster in southern Johor.
“Will a nearby university push up property prices?”
No one can promise that. What a large campus can do is support steady rental demand nearby, because every intake brings new students who need a place to live. Prices depend on many other factors, including supply, interest rates and transport links. Treat a campus as one demand driver among several, and compare it with others, such as the cross-border commuter demand that drives the city centre.
Choosing a university and a home together
If you are a parent planning ahead, decide the study route first, then the home. A few practical steps:
- Pick the field. Medicine points to NUMed; engineering to UTM or Southampton; business and real estate to Reading, Sunway or Southern University College.
- Check entry routes. SPM, STPM, A Levels, the IB and the UEC are accepted differently by each institution.
- Map the commute. Use our JB amenities map to see drive times from home to campus and to the CIQ.
- Budget the whole household. Combine tuition, transport and housing in the JB property calculator.
For younger children, our lists of international schools in Johor Bahru and preschools and childcare in JB complete the education picture. If you would like floor plans for Causewayz Square, WhatsApp us for the latest SPA price list.
Sources
- Bernama: UTM new undergraduate intake 2026/2027 (Oct 2026)
- Times Higher Education: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
- UTM NewsHub: UTM strengthens global ties with new exchange intake (Mar 2026)
- NCUK: Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia
- University of Southampton Malaysia: Our location
- University of Reading: Malaysia campus
- Unienrol: Top private universities and colleges in Johor (updated Mar 2026)
- Malay Mail: UEC pathway into public universities (May 2026)
This guide is general information, not financial advice.