Student recruitment efforts worldwide are suffering from crises in the Middle East and Asia
Middlesex University, which faces an estimated 40 per cent drop in students from South-east Asia, has set up an associate college, the Millennium Institute of Technology (MIT), in Kuala Lumpur.
Students registering at the local campus will be considered part of the student population of Middlesex University, Britain's biggest recruiter of Malaysian students, said KL-based regional director of operations, George Chadwick.
They will have access to the university's staff and facilities. Students will study at MIT for two years followed by a third year at Middlesex University to complete their degree.
Students have a choice of programmes leading to first degrees in business administration, information systems and accounting and finance. A joint honours degree programme is also available.
The first batch of students will enjoy a 20 per cent discount on their tuition fees at MIT. They will, however, pay full fees for their study time at Middlesex.
Professor Chadwick called MIT a strategic base for the university. Middlesex will vet all MIT staff appointments, and a research centre will be set up soon. MIT staff will get development programmes.
Malaysia-based students will communicate with counterparts and lecturers in England by e-mail. MIT will have visiting lecturers at least once a month, who will talk to students, conduct formal lectures and work on staff development exercises.
Middlesex University is said to be shifting recruitment efforts to the eastern Mediterranean, South America and East Asia.