Living and Getting Around in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, or just KL, is the capital city of Malaysia. Bukit Jalil is a suburb located 15 minutes away from KL downtown. It was developed into the National Sports Complex for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and currently also houses Technology Park Malaysia (TPM) and APU. TPM is Malaysia's most established technology hub which lodges global researchers and high technology leaders of the information age. During the first few weeks you will become familiar with the city and its neighbourhoods. The people here and the local life are two of the best things about studying at APU! You'll quickly find that you and newly met fellow students will discover a lot about local life, customs and culture, transport, places of interest, shopping centres, post offices, cinema, etc.

Through OAC Insurance, we provide you with a comprehensive medical insurance package. Details of the package with enclosed registration form are given to you at the time of registration.

Plan ahead for your expenses while you study and live in Malaysia. In addition to tuition fees, costs may at minimum include food, books and stationery, accommodation, clothing, travel, entertainment, healthcare, insurance, visa renewal, etc. A moderate student lifestyle monthly expenses average RM1,200 to RM1,800, including accommodation and excluding tuition fees.

The local currency is Ringgit Malaysia (RM). It is generally easy to convert currencies at the money changers and banks throughout Malaysia. Most organisations in Malaysia accept major credit cards; some accept travellers' cheques. ATMs can also be used to obtain cash via debit/cash cards from your home bank.

Upon arriving in Malaysia, we advise you to open an account with a local bank. You will need to obtain a letter from our Student Services for this purpose.

Malaysia's official language is Bahasa Malaysia. However, English is spoken by a majority of people throughout Malaysia, linking the various ethnic groups. Other everyday languages include Chinese dialects such as Cantonese, Hakka, and Hokkien. You will also hear Indian dialects like Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.

You can make phone calls through residential phones, public phone booths, and mobile phones. IDD call cards are available from convenience stores to offer special rates for overseas calls. Wireless Internet access throughout the campus also allows for 24 hour email access. To get Internet access at home, broadband Internet subscription has become increasingly cheap in Malaysia to offer wired and wireless home Internet connection. Check with several local service providers such as UniFi, Streamyx, TIME, Maxis, DiGi, Celcom and others

Post offices are located throughout the country, with typical services provided for letter and package sending/receiving. Courier companies also operate throughout the country. There is a limited postal service facility on campus and they can direct you to any other service facilities you may need.

The International Student Centre at our Student Services will be glad to assist should you have any questions It is our job to make you feel at home here. We look forward to welcoming you and wishing you SELAMAT DATANG KE MALAYSIA!