How Malaysian and NZ qualifications compare

Find out how New Zealand qualifications compare to qualifications gained in Malaysia.

How the comparison works

NZQA and the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) have completed a joint project as part of a Free Trade Agreement to compare New Zealand and Malaysia’s Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees.

New Zealand–Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (external link)

The project found that:

  • the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees on the NZQF and MQF are broadly comparable
  • the quality assurance systems that underpin the NZQF and MQF at the level of Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees are compatible.

The comparison is intended to make it easier for education providers and employers to understand the qualification and how it compares to similar qualifications in their country. Our arrangement with Malaysia does not guarantee that a qualification completed in the other country will be automatically recognised as equivalent.

This table shows how the qualification levels of the NZQF and the MQF compare to each other. 

Degree type New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF)  Malaysian Qualifications Framework (MQF)
Bachelor's Level 7  Level 6
Master's Level 9 Level 7
Doctoral  Level 10 Level 8
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Read the full report

Read more about the the comparability of qualifications in New Zealand and Malaysia in this report.
A Comparative Analysis of Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Degrees (PDF, 4.7MB) (opens in a new window)

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