The past five years witnessed a significant increase in the number of international students enrolling in Malaysian universities. For international students, adapting to the host country's educational environment is an important theme during their study, and the effectiveness of their academic adaptation is the key to complete their studies. The researcher found psychological adaptation is commonly concluded as one of the crucial influencing factors of academic adaptation in the studies of international students. This study systematically reviews the studies of influences of psychological adaptation on academic adaptation of international students studying in Malaysia from 2015 to 2025. By identifying literature gaps in publishing time, sample characteristics, topics, research methods and theories, this review aims to inspire more research to enrich future research achievements in this area.
Aljaber, M. A. (2019). Effect of educational intervention in reducing acculturative stress among new international postgraduate students in public universities in Malaysia (Doctoral dissertation). Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Bi, S., & Ahmad, A. L. (2024). Academic adaptation of Chinese postgraduate students in Malaysia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 40(2), 395-412.
GulRaihan, M., & Sandaran, S. C. (2017). Sociocultural adaptation challenges of international students at a higher learning institution in Malaysia. LSP International Journal, 4(2), 85–101.
Halimah, N., Megawati, S., Sauri, S., Prehartanti, M., & Nordin, N. E. (2024). Challenges and adaptation strategies of Indonesian students in international higher education. International Journal of Bunga Bangsa Cirebon (IJOBBA), 3(1), 191-202.
Halim, I., & Mustapa, M. (2020). Predictors of resilience among Indonesian students in Malaysian universities. Journal of International Education and Psychology, 15(2), 123-135.
Nachatar Singh, J. K. (2015). What is academic success for international postgraduate students? A qualitative study of student and staff perspectives at a Malaysian university. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Nachatar Singh, J. K. (2018). What are the factors that contribute to postgraduate international students’ academic success? A Malaysian qualitative study. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(5), 1035-1049.
Niu Yue, Dr Nazeera Binti Ahmed Bazari, Sun Xiaotong, Xia Liyao, Wang Changlong, & Xu Xia. (2024). A Study Of Cross-Cultural Adaptation And Psychological Resources In Chinese International Students Pursuing Higher Education In Malaysia. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(4), 5680–5690.
Rathakrishnan, B., Bikar Singh, S. S., Kamaluddin, M. R., Ghazali, M. F., Yahaya, A., Mohamed, N. H., & Krishnan, A. R. (2021). Homesickness and socio-cultural adaptation towards perceived stress among international students of a public university in Sabah: an exploration study for social sustainability. Sustainability, 13(9), 4924.
Sabouripour, F., Roslan, S., Ghiami, Z., & Memon, M. A. (2021). Mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between optimism, psychological well-being, and resilience among Iranian students. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 675645.
Shafaei, A., & Abd Razak, N. (2016). International postgraduate students’ cross-cultural adaptation in Malaysia: Antecedents and outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 57(6), 739–767.
Singh, J. K. N. (2020). Academic failure: Unspoken experiences by international postgraduate students in a Malaysian university. IAFOR Journal of Education, 8(4), 79-94.
Singh, J. K. N. (2021). Academic resilience among international students: Lived experiences of postgraduate international students in Malaysia. Asia Pacific Education Review, 22(1), 129–138.
Xie, M., Wider, W., Rajanthran, S. K., Wong, L. S., Chan, C. K., Maidin, S. S., & Mustafa, N. A. (2023). Factors affecting adaptability of international students in Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 12(1), 100-100.
Yassin, A. A., Razak, N. A., Qasem, Y. A. M., & Mohammed, M. A. S. (2020). Intercultural learning challenges affecting international students' sustainable learning in Malaysian higher education institutions. Sustainability, 12(18), 7490.
Yassin, A. A., Razak, N. A., Saeed, M. A., Al-Maliki, M. A. A., & Al-Habies, F. A. (2021). Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local and international students in Malaysian universities. Asian Education and Development Studies, 10(4), 574-586.
Yusuf, B. N., & Abd Rahim, R. T. (2022). The influence of interaction factors in cross-cultural adjustment among international students in a private higher education learning institution. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 7(47), 290-300.
Wujiadai, S., & Ahmad, H. (2026). The Influences of Psychological Adaptation on Academic Adaptation of International Students Studying in Malaysia: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(7), 1148-1163.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode