AIMST University

About AIMST University

AIMST University, formally the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology, is a non-profit private medical university located in Bedong, in the state of Kedah, in northern Peninsular Malaysia. The institution was founded in 2001 and began operations on 30 October 2001 under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996. AIMST occupies a 230-acre garden campus at Batu 3 1/2, Bukit Air Nasi, along the Bedong-Semeling road, roughly 20 minutes by car from Sungai Petani and 20 km south of the state capital Alor Setar.

The university is owned and operated by AIMST Education Sdn Bhd, a corporate vehicle of the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), the education foundation associated with the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). The current Vice-Chancellor is Snr. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kathiresan V. Sathasivam, who took office on 1 January 2024, and the Chancellor is S.A. Vigneswaran. AIMST employs approximately 250 administrative staff and serves a student population of more than 3,500 across undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts.

AIMST runs 8 faculties spanning medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, applied sciences, engineering, business, and a School of General & Foundation Studies. In total, AIMST operates 70 MQA-accredited programmes, 44 currently active courses, and more than 32 degree-level qualifications. The university holds Tier 4 (“Very Good”) status under the SETARA 2013 institutional rating and “Berdaya Saing (Competitive)” status in the most recent SETARA round. The medical programme separately holds D-SETARA Tier 4 recognition. In QS Asia 2025, AIMST University is ranked in the #451-460 band, also reported as 78th in Southeast Asia.

The institutional positioning is straightforward: AIMST is the only fully-fledged private medical university in northern Malaysia. Within the Kedah-Penang-Perlis-Perak belt, no other private institution operates a full MBBS programme alongside dentistry, pharmacy, and allied health under one campus. This geographic monopoly, combined with the MIED ownership structure, gives AIMST a different market position from Klang Valley competitors such as IMU University, MAHSA University, and Perdana University, which compete head-to-head in the metropolitan medical education market.

The 230-acre campus footprint is among the largest single-site private university grounds in Malaysia. The campus accommodates the eight faculty buildings, an on-site dental teaching clinic, faculty residences, sports facilities, multiple hostel blocks, a central library, and administrative offices, all under one address. This contiguity has practical consequences for clinical training: laboratory rotations, anatomy sessions, and inter-faculty teaching for the medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and allied health faculties can be scheduled within walking distance, without the dispersed-campus logistics that constrain some metropolitan competitors.

MIC Heritage and Founding of AIMST University

AIMST University was founded by the late Tun S. Samy Vellu (1936-2022), the long-serving President of the Malaysian Indian Congress from 1981 to 2010. Tun Samy Vellu was a Federal Cabinet Minister across successive administrations, most notably as Minister of Works, and used his political tenure to advance institutional projects oriented toward the educational and economic uplift of the Malaysian Indian community. AIMST was the largest of those projects.

The institutional vehicle for AIMST is the Maju Institute of Educational Development, generally known as MIED. MIED was set up under MIC stewardship as the party’s education foundation, and AIMST Education Sdn Bhd is the operating company through which MIED runs the university. The founding rationale, articulated by Tun Samy Vellu at the time, was twofold: to establish a private medical university in northern Malaysia where none existed, and to broaden tertiary medical education access for Malaysian Indian students who had historically faced quota constraints in public medical schools.

The current institutional reality is broader than the founding rationale. AIMST today recruits across all ethnic backgrounds and operates a substantial international intake from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and several African countries. The MIC heritage remains in the ownership structure and in the institution’s commemorative iconography, but the operating university is multi-ethnic and outward-facing. A 14-foot bronze statue of Tun Samy Vellu, unveiled on campus in 2024 two years after his passing, stands as the central founder memorial.

The institutional resilience of AIMST was demonstrated in November 2014 when the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) in Kepala Batas, Penang ceased operations following the suspension of its medical programme by the Malaysian Medical Council. AUCMS had 425 displaced medical students requiring mid-stream placement at other recognised MBBS providers. AIMST received 81 of those students, the third-largest tranche after the 99 absorbed by Manipal Medical College in Melaka and 86 by University of Cyberjaya. The transfer was conducted under the MMC’s standard 1:8 teacher-to-student ratio requirement and signalled to the regulator that AIMST had the clinical training capacity to absorb a substantial off-cycle cohort without compromising the integrity of its existing MBBS programme.

Governance at AIMST sits with the Board of AIMST Education Sdn Bhd, which reports to MIED’s trustees. The current Vice-Chancellor, Snr. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kathiresan V. Sathasivam, took office on 1 January 2024 following an academic career within AIMST itself. The Chancellor is S.A. Vigneswaran, who serves the ceremonial and convocational role at degree conferral. Day-to-day academic management runs through the deans of the eight faculties, with the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry deans carrying the additional responsibility of liaison with the Malaysian Medical Council and Malaysian Dental Council respectively for periodic accreditation review.

Programs at AIMST University

AIMST University organises its academic offerings across 8 faculties, with a clear gravitational centre in health sciences and a complementary spread into engineering, technology, business, and foundation studies.

The Faculty of Medicine runs the five-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), accredited under MQA code MQA/FA4034. The MBBS is the institution’s flagship programme and the basis for its national reputation. The curriculum follows a pre-clinical and clinical structure, with clinical postings concentrated at Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim in Sungai Petani during early clinical years and Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar during the Year-5 clerkship year.

The Faculty of Dentistry runs the five-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), accredited under MQA code MQA/FA3470. The faculty operates an on-site dental clinic that treats over 40,000 patients annually, providing AIMST dental students with substantial chairside clinical exposure across general dentistry, oral surgery, prosthodontics, and paediatric dentistry.

The Faculty of Pharmacy delivers the four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) programme, accredited under MQA code MQA/FA8482 and recognised by the Pharmacy Board Malaysia. Graduates are eligible for provisional registration with the Board upon completion of the required pre-registration training.

The Faculty of Allied Health Professions offers the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Hons), Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons), Diploma in Nursing, and Diploma in Physiotherapy. Nursing programmes are recognised by Lembaga Jururawat Malaysia (the Malaysian Nursing Board), the regulatory body for nursing practice in Malaysia.

The Faculty of Applied Sciences runs three honours bachelor programmes: BSc (Hons) Biotechnology, BSc (Hons) Bioinformatics, and BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences. These feed both directly into the workforce and into postgraduate research at AIMST and beyond.

The Faculty of Engineering & Computer Technology offers the Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering (MQA/FA2774), the Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons), and a Diploma in Engineering for sub-degree intake. The faculty diversifies AIMST’s portfolio beyond the medical disciplines and provides STEM pathways for students who do not qualify for the MBBS or BDS competitive intake.

The Faculty of Business & Management runs the BBA, MBA, DBA, Bachelor (Hons) Business and Marketing, and Bachelor (Hons) Finance and Management. The DBA is the doctoral-level business research qualification.

The School of General & Foundation Studies delivers the Foundation in Science and Foundation in Business pre-university programmes. These are AIMST’s principal entry points for SPM and O-Level holders progressing into the degree programmes.

At postgraduate level, AIMST runs 15 Masters programmes and 3 Doctoral programmes, including PhD Pharmacy, PhD Biotechnology, and PhD Physiotherapy alongside the DBA. Postgraduate applications run year-round rather than on a fixed semester intake, with rolling supervisor assignment.

Fees at AIMST University

AIMST University publishes programme-level fees that reflect the resource intensity of each discipline. The MBBS sits at the top of the fee schedule due to its five-year duration, mandatory hospital postings, and 1:8 teacher-to-student ratio requirement. Foundation programmes sit at the bottom of the schedule.

Programme	Annual Fee (RM)	Programme Total (RM)
MBBS (5 years)	63,950	319,750
BDS Dentistry (5 years)	~58,900	~294,500
Bachelor of Pharmacy Hons (4 years)	~26,975	~107,900
BSc (Hons) Biotechnology	~14,050	~42,150
BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences (3 years)	~26,160	~78,480
Foundation in Science	10,800	10,800
Foundation in Business	10,450	10,450
Diploma in Nursing (3 years)	~10,083	30,250
Diploma in Physiotherapy (3 years)	~10,767	32,300

The MBBS at AIMST costs RM 63,950 per year, totalling RM 319,750 across the five-year curriculum. This compares favourably with metropolitan and branch-campus medical schools: the MBBS at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia and similar UK-degree-awarding programmes typically run beyond RM 500,000 in total programme cost. The dentistry programme at RM 294,500 total similarly sits below most metropolitan equivalents.

Pharmacy at RM 26,975 per year over four years and the applied sciences degrees at RM 14,050 per year position AIMST as accessible for students seeking accredited health and life sciences qualifications without the fee load of the MBBS or BDS pathway.

Hostel accommodation runs RM 530 to RM 730 per month and includes three meals daily and twice-weekly laundry, an unusually inclusive bundling for Malaysian university residential pricing. Students should also budget for textbooks, instruments (particularly for dentistry students), clinical attire, transport, and personal expenses.

All published fees are quoted for Malaysian students. International student fees, particularly for MBBS and BDS, run on separate schedules and should be requested from the admissions office at choose@aimst.edu.my.

The MBBS total of RM 319,750 across five years works out to roughly RM 64,000 per year of intensive medical training. By comparison, equivalent five-year MBBS programmes at metropolitan private medical schools typically run RM 350,000 to RM 500,000 in total programme cost, and UK-degree-awarding pathways at branch campuses run beyond RM 500,000. The pricing differential is partly a function of geographic operating cost (Bedong is materially cheaper than Bangsar South or Iskandar Puteri) and partly the non-profit MIED ownership structure, which is constituted to apply operating surplus to scholarships, facility maintenance, and programme development rather than to shareholder distribution.

MBBS Recognition and Clinical Training at AIMST University

The Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) recognised the AIMST University MBBS programme on 17 August 2007 and listed it in the Second Schedule of the Medical Act 1971. This is the headline credential for the Faculty of Medicine. MMC Second Schedule recognition is the prerequisite for AIMST MBBS graduates to register with the Council, undertake the mandatory two-year housemanship in Ministry of Health hospitals, and progress to provisional registration as Medical Officers.

MMC recognition is reviewed periodically and is contingent on the institution maintaining the regulator’s standards on student-to-teacher ratios, clinical posting capacity, faculty qualifications, infrastructure adequacy, and assessment integrity. AIMST has held continuous recognition since 2007 and demonstrated its capacity to scale clinical training in 2014 when it absorbed 81 of the 425 displaced AUCMS medical students.

Clinical postings are the practical component of the MBBS curriculum and are delivered in partnership with Ministry of Health hospitals in Kedah. The two principal teaching hospitals for AIMST MBBS students are:

• Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim in Sungai Petani is used during the early clinical years and provides exposure across the major specialties: internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and emergency medicine.
• Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar is the principal Year-5 clerkship hospital. As the state tertiary referral hospital for Kedah, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah handles the more complex case mix and provides the final-year clinical exposure required for the professional qualifying examination.

Both hospitals are within the Kedah Department of Health network, and the MMC oversees the maintenance of the required 1:8 teacher-to-student ratio across postings. AIMST also maintains an on-site dental clinic for the BDS programme that handles more than 40,000 patient visits annually, providing chairside training for dental students from Year 3 onwards.

The institution counts more than 2,000 practising medical doctor alumni placed across Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. Notable alumni include Dr. Merlinda Shazellenne, who serves as Medical Education Director of the Junior Doctors Network at the World Medical Association.

Beyond the MBBS, AIMST’s allied accreditation profile is substantial. The BDS is recognised by the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC), the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) by the Pharmacy Board Malaysia, and the nursing programmes by Lembaga Jururawat Malaysia. The Faculty of Engineering & Computer Technology’s Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering carries MQA code MQA/FA2774 and provisional accreditation review with the Engineering Accreditation Council under the Board of Engineers Malaysia. Each of these accreditations carries periodic review obligations and entry-standard requirements that AIMST must continuously satisfy to maintain professional registration eligibility for its graduates.

Admissions at AIMST University

AIMST University operates rolling admissions across most programmes, with separate intake calendars for the medicine and dentistry pathways, which carry stricter MMC and MDC entry requirements.

Entry to the MBBS programme requires either STPM with strong passes in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics or Mathematics; A-Level passes in the same science subjects; an AIMST Foundation in Science completion at the required CGPA; or an equivalent qualification accepted by the MMC such as the Indian CBSE 12th, Sri Lankan A-Levels, or relevant matriculation and pre-medical qualifications. The MMC sets a minimum standard that admitting institutions must observe.

Entry to the BDS programme runs on similar prerequisites with an emphasis on biology and chemistry grades, and a manual dexterity assessment may form part of the selection process.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy requires science-stream pre-university qualifications and is also subject to the Pharmacy Board Malaysia’s minimum entry standards.

Foundation programmes accept SPM, O-Level, or equivalent qualifications with the relevant subject passes for the chosen pathway (science or business).

Postgraduate admissions run year-round. Master’s and Doctoral applicants should hold a relevant bachelor’s or master’s qualification as appropriate, identify a supervisor with research alignment, and submit a research proposal where required.

Application contact: choose@aimst.edu.my, with switchboard lines on +604-429 8000, +604-429 8108, and +604-429 8009. The university website is aimst.edu.my.

Across all programmes, AIMST runs intakes that typically align with the Malaysian academic year (January and either July or September starts), with the medicine and dentistry intakes running on the more constrained calendar required by clinical posting scheduling. International applicants should factor in additional lead time for the Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) student visa pass, which runs on its own processing window and is administered separately from AIMST’s internal admissions decision.

AIMST University in Kedah

AIMST University is the headline private university in Kedah, and it occupies a unique position in the northern Malaysian higher education map. Within the private universities sector, no other institution combines AIMST’s geographic location, full medical and dental faculty coverage, and 230-acre single-site campus.

The Bedong location places AIMST roughly equidistant between Sungai Petani (20 minutes south by car) and Alor Setar (20 km north). Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas is approximately one hour away by road, which makes the campus accessible to international students arriving via Penang and to peninsular Malaysian students travelling overland on the North-South Expressway. Bedong town itself is small but functional, with student accommodation, food outlets, and basic services clustered around the campus periphery.

For Malaysian students from Kedah, Perlis, Penang, and northern Perak, AIMST removes the need to relocate to the Klang Valley for private medical, dental, or pharmacy education. For international students, the regional positioning of Penang as a medical tourism and healthcare hub adds clinical observation opportunities beyond the formal AIMST hospital posting network.

The 230-acre campus footprint is substantial by Malaysian private university standards, the bulk of which are housed in commercial high-rise buildings or compact urban campuses. AIMST’s site supports the on-campus dental teaching clinic, Faculty of Medicine teaching infrastructure, faculty residences, sports facilities, hostel blocks, and the central administrative complex. The 14-foot bronze Tun Samy Vellu founder statue stands on the central campus axis, unveiled in 2024.

For prospective students weighing AIMST against the metropolitan medical schools, the calculation typically comes down to three variables: total programme cost (where AIMST is meaningfully cheaper than metropolitan and branch-campus competitors), proximity to home (where AIMST is the natural choice for northern Peninsular Malaysian families), and clinical exposure venue (where Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah and Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim provide a Ministry of Health-network case mix comparable to teaching hospitals serving other private MBBS programmes).

In summary: AIMST University is the only fully-fledged private medical university in northern Malaysia, founded in 2001 by the late Tun S. Samy Vellu under the institutional vehicle of the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), with continuous MMC recognition for its MBBS programme since 17 August 2007, an MBBS fee of RM 63,950 per year, and a 230-acre campus in Bedong, Kedah serving more than 3,500 students across 8 faculties.